Driving around town today, about to pick up a half ton of gravel and sand and felt some shimmy in the wheel. Poked my head under and saw that my drivers side control arm had let go of the ball joint so that the joint was sitting on top of that arm. Called AAA to see if i was still a member then drove the whole 30 miles home. I'm thinking of pressing it back in and having someone tack weld it in place. I could also buy a real moog joint but i'm afraid the control arm sleeve might be loose after this. ideas?

ball joint is off ebay...

think theres enough room to put it back in without removing the knuckle?

 

The uppers are threaded in... pressing it back in won't do any good. If it broke loose the threads are gone.

This happened to me on both sides of my truck!! One side I got a "new" control arm and put in a new ball joint and when the other side did the same I said forget this crap and welded it on. Haven't had a problem since! (of course, my control arms are gone now :P)

 

Its threaded!?! holy sh*t did I f that one. The joint i put in was just ribbed from what i remember... but i could be wrong. I'll have to get someone to weld it.

 

 

I'm sure the guy that welds it needs a new F up story to tell in the shop anyway...

After all the reading i did i never saw the threaded part! sh*t.

 

What happened to yours? You didn't screw the pooch too did you?

 

Not me! I had mine put in by a shop the first week I had my truck... the one and only thing I ever had someone else do to my truck! The first one broke within a month of the guy doing the work and I took it back and he took care of it. The other one broke about a year after and I just said screw it and "fixed" it myself.

Doesn't matter anymore cause there is a dana 44 sitting under my truck now :P

 

right on. I hope all the ball joint 1st timers find this post!!!

 

I didn't realize the upper was threaded in. I've replaced both lowers.

 

yep they are threaded in. I plan on changing mine either this weekend or next weekend. We will see how it goes. lol