Hello all! I have recently acquired a 1993 Dakota 4x4 with front suspension, brakes, and steering issues. Over the weekend I replaced both hubs, rotors, calipers, and shocks. I inspected the ball joints and bushings and sure enough they are a mess. What I noticed though was that the upper control arm on the passenger side has a press in joint and the one on the driver's side is riveted in. My understanding is the riveted units were gen2 and later but the knuckles are different.... I am confused.
Thoughts?
Also the truck has some goofy negative camber.

 

That rivetted one may be an after market unit also (not that there's still any after market ones besides the Moog anymore.)

RwP

 

My thoughts are.
1. The one is not a press in, rather a screw in......
2. On the side with a rivet in ball joint, it may be a 97 and newer control arm with knuckle, etc. But that is just a guess.

 

The hubs mounted to the knuckles with four bolts on both sides. I thought the newer ones mounted with three bolts.
The control arms both look like factory parts just curios if it is a 1997 and later are they interchangeable?

 

I tried to put a 97 control arm on my 87...... I believe the control arm would bolt to the frame, but the ball joint stud was smaller in dia. I quit at that point.
Maybe someone made a spacer to adapt the ball joint to the earlier spindle?
And maybe there is a slight difference in the length of the control arm?
Just guessing.....
BTW I posted a picture of the two arms side by side. Will look for it tomorrow.

 

Found the picture.
one is a 87 without the ball joint screwed in. the other is a 97.....

 

Dimensionally they appear the same, at least in the pic. So the joint to knuckle join would be the where the troubles would start.

 

Yes, the ball joint stud is smaller on the 97.

 

I wonder if there's a rivetable ball joint with the 87 size stud that would fit and work ...

RwP

 

I did a alternator upgrade on my Ram50 and needed a spacer for the mount bolt through the body of the new alt. I ended up using a piece of 1/2" copper pipe it worked fine.
You would probably want something stainless for the ball joint. Here is a company that deals in these sorts of parts https://www.mcmaster.com/steel-spacers/
Whatever you get you will probably have to engineer/cut some of it yourself.