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  1. #1
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    04 2500 4x4 crew cab

    need help w balljoints.

    ok, so i am having problems with the ball joints in my car.
    I bought all new ball joints and tie rod ends. Everything went fine until I went to replace the ball joints in the front lower control arm. I took the arms and ball joints into a machine shop to get pressed. The shop foreman pressed out the old ball joints fine.
    When he went to press the new ones in, he noticed that ball joints were too big to press them into the arms. He then offered to sell me their in house ball joints. He miked these and found them to be the same dimensions as the ones I brought in. He said that the pressure needed would split the arms.
    I asked if he could hone the sockets in the arms to accept the bigger ball joints,and he said he wouldn't do it.
    I then went to the stealership and asked for ball joints. They are discontinued. But he can sell me fully assembled arms for 300 a piece.
    It seems from talking to the machine shop guy that usually the holes in the arms are all wollared out, and then the oversize ball joints go in ok. But since I was doing preventive maintenance, they wouldn't work. Here are the measurements of the stuff.
    A-arm inner measurement. 2.058
    Old ball joint that was removed Outer diam 2.077
    All the new ball joints we miked 2.095

    He said I need a new od of no more than .03 than the socket. Which is a max of 2.088 What do I do?

  2. #2
    Veteran pajeff02's Avatar
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    Black & Blue
    '02 WS.6 / '07 Suburban

    That does sound like too much of a difference for a press fit. Have you shopped around on the internet for another set of balljoints?

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cutlass's Avatar
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    1999 Formula WS6 M6-sold
    2001 Silverado Z71

    try another set of ball joints like NAPA maybe. If its still not within the .030" max press fit then just go for it. Don't be afraid to break stuff. You could try sticking the ball joints in the freezer overnite or heating the lower control arm to help things out.

    If all else fails, get some GM or aftermarket control arms (UMI) or even some used arms

  4. #4
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    white
    04 2500 4x4 crew cab

    Ok,got it figured out. Took a grinder and a cylinder hone for a VW and cut the socket down to size.

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