Another question. Recentrly I replaced all of the ball joints on my 96 dakota 4x4. While pressing it into the upper right control arm, the ball joint just kind of went in with very little resistance, like the hole in the control arm was too big or something, it wasn't really a nice press fit. I could have just tapped it in with a hammer. I put it in anyway and thought nothing of it.
While drivng today, I heard a thud and then the steering got kind of loose. I looked in the wheel well and that ball joint had popped out of the socket in the control arm and was no longer in its place. Really the question here is do i need a new control arm? I don't know where to get one. No local salvage yards have this truck. Can I put a new ball joint back into the already loose socket and weld the ball joint to the control arm. I know it sounds like im mickey mousing it, but would this be likely to fail? Id do like 3 nice 1in beads along the rim of the socket on the control arm. I think it wouldn't ever come apart. And if I really needed to replace this ball joint in the future, i could grind off the weld and pop it out.
If anyone has any input, tell me what you think. Thanks.

 

I did it to my full size dodge control arm and its held well...I found some control arms on Ebay also but they looked aftermarket and cheep so I didnt buy them ...ball held well w/weld spots...watch out for heat ....I will still be looking to "replace" control arm someday thoo.

 

arent they supposed to thread in like the 2WDs? I had the same issue with my Dads 86 Dodge van. I went with Moog balljoints, and I, too, welded them in... don't do this if looking inside the new joint from the underside and you see a plastic looking bushing....
I welded them from the topside of teh control arm where the bj flange rested against the control arm flange. IIRC I also put a couple small tacks in from the bottom side of the control arm but didnt go crazy here. that was 20 years ago/