Dreading these ball joints ***Update, Help!***

[brads70]

The nut is off the ball joint but the post is still in the spindle arm. Would it help if I unbolted the lower ball joint or no?

Ok you need to wack the taper with a hammer or use a pickle fork to get the taper free of the spindle. I suspect thats why it just spins when you try to unscrew it

[brads70]

Ok you need to wack the taper with a hammer or use a pickle fork to get the taper free of the spindle. I suspect thats why it just spins when you try to unscrew it

MAKE SURE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM IS SUPPORTED WITH A JACK OR THE TORSION BAR IS BACKED OFF FIRST!!!!!!

[NCtrueconservative]

Okay, i will jack t hat up and see if it helps, cause i have beat and beat on my pickle fork and couldn't get it to budge

[brads70]

Okay, i will jack t hat up and see if it helps, cause i have beat and beat on my pickle fork and couldn't get it to budge

I would have gotten the ball joint taper separated from the spindle first before I tried to screw it out of the UCA . Just be sure to support the LCA or bad things are gonna happen!

[Grec]

I feel compelled to warn you to take a good long look at how you're doing this. You're dealing with very dangerous things if you don't have it set up right before hand.

When I work on the suspension I have:

1) Car jacked up, supported by jackstands on both frame rails
2) tension on torsion bars backed off ALL THE WAY

If you don't have all the tension taken out of the suspension, you are asking to have a bone broken (or worse) by something snapping out under tension.

Just be aware of these things. I'd hate to see the next post by you typed with a nub where your hand used to be. Lol.

[GranCuda1970]

  you'll get her it is not rocket science. But back that nut all the way off on the LCA just remove the cam bolts and pull the upper UCA when free it from the spindle. Yes jacking it up level makes it alot easier to take apart. I wish i had taken more pics when i did this and posted them for otheres. Use the tool posted above or take it to a shop if it is being a Royal Pain in the arsekey to get the ball joint out.

[NCtrueconservative]

well here's an update. My grandma is in the hospital and my cousins bf that is a mechanic that I have mentioned before said he would stop by and see what he could do.  He got the ball joint post out of the spindle arm, so now it was just the ball joint in the UCA to get out.  We turned and turned but it would just spin.  I guess the d*mn threads are stripped. It acted like it would try to catch, but then it would go loose again into an easy turn.  My only option now is to take the upper control arm off and take it to a machine shop and see if they can do anything to get it out.  My last bit of hope is that its just the threads on the ball joint stripped and not the UCA's threads, but thats wishful thinking at this point.  Then I'll either have to order a new control arm, wait for it to get here, and pay out the ars, or weld my new ball joint in the arm.  I have the worst luck!! And the other side will prob be the same way.  Plus, as my cousin and her bf get in their car to go home, the thing wont move while in gear.  Thing is gushing tranny fluid.  There is a hole RUSTED in the transmission case. He said he had never seen anything like it. Had to lend him our car, he'll have to come tow it tomorrow.  What a string of bad luck 

[jimynick]

You probably peeled the threads by not unhooking the joint from the spindle, the threads don't have the juice to pull the morse taper out of the spindle. Once you get the joint out of the spindle, you could try to get a thin pry bar under the edge of the joint and apply upward pressure while having someone turn the joint with the impact; you may catch some residual thread and get it out, but I'd take a real good look at the threads if you do. If there's a wee bit of thread left, you MIGHT get by with a couple of mig spots. Tough way to learn a lesson. Good luck.

[NCtrueconservative]

yeah, first time I've done it, and I shoulda thought to take the taper out first. Why I asked at the beginning for any tips or tricks. Oh well, whats another 200 bucks for a control arm and two weeks of the car on jacks waiting for it to get here right?  I did read where someone on here welded their ball joint in, idk anymore. Should have just paid someone to do it and been done with it.

[NCtrueconservative]

btw, tried the pry bar thing putting pressure on it and it just didn't catch enough.

[GranCuda1970]

Wish I was closer to help! have not been to NC since 91 / 92.

[GranCuda1970]

I don,t think you will have any problem finding a UCA I had one not too long ago I would have mailed you for just shipping cost. Maybe someone has a rusty extra that can be cleaned up.

[brads70]

If you can't find a replacement upper control arm you can cut out the damaged threaded area and weld in a new threaded sleeve? Around here they are in stock at my local parts supplier. You being in NC should have no trouble finding a oval track parts supplier? These are very commonly used in stock car racing. You will want one for what they call the "small Chrysler ball joint"  as 2 sizes are commonly available.  Wish we lived closer as I'd have you fixed up in no time! I could have welded it in the proper position so you could get more caster too.

http://www.motorstate.com/catalog-viewer?cat=57  page 542 part # UBM40-3303
https://www.lefthanderchassis.com/v2a/products.asp?idcategory=332

[GranCuda1970]

There you go you can sleeve it. good as new.

[Grec]

If you don't feel up to repairing / resleeving your current UCA, they show up on ebay regularly.

Look for 68-72 B-Body / 70-74 E-Body UCAs... they are the same for both bodies. I'm confident you can get what you need for >$100.