I took the truck in to get the front end aligned. The garage said they couldn't do it because the lower ball joints were shot. The alignment wouldn't hold. Then they offered to change the lower joints for $750. That's when I figured I would learn how to do the ball joints on my truck. I went with NAPA parts because I've always heard they carry quality parts.

The job went well for a computer weenie. The joints were riveted. To remove them I got to buy a new tool. I've always wanted a side grinder. It took about an hour to knock the tops off the rivets. They still wouldn't punch out, so I had to drill them too. I burned up all my bits on the first joint. Another trip to the store got a couple of the best quality bits they carry. Boy, what a difference. The second joint came out in half the time.

I was able to "borrow" tools from Advance. I don't think I could have done the job without the spreader tool and a really large hammer. Because the new joints were bolt on, I didn't need the press kit. They put $205 on my credit card and took it off when I returned the tools.

Now the question: When I put everything back together, the upper joint gave me concern. When I put the nut on the center post of the upper joint, the post spun freely. I managed to get the nut on far enough to get the cotter pin in. Both sides were like that. Is that normal or is that a problem?

Thanks,

Tom

 

I had that problem before too. Not on my Dakota, it was on my gf's mother's Ford Crown Victoria. I put new upper ball joints and new lower control arms on it and when I went to tighten the nuts on the lower ball joints the studs just kept spinning around once the nut was starting to tighten up. I had to put my floor jack under the control arm right behind the brake rotor and jack it up a few inches higher to put more pressure on the ball joint stud to hold it in place so I could tighten the nut.

I had no problems like that at all when I replaced the ball joints on my Dakota. All 4 ball joint nuts tightened down easily. If you were unable to get the nut snugged down and tight you might want to try the floor jack trick and see if it helps. The nuts don't have to be gorilla tight but they do need to be tight on the ball joint stud. The cotter pin is there as a safety feature in case the nuts back off or loosen up but my opionion is I would not want to take the chance of the nut being too loose.

Jimmy

 

Just a follow up. I took the truck to get the front end aligned. I told the mechanic about everything. When he finished, he said everything looked fine. The alignment cost $65.00. Saving $600 was good. The satisfaction of doing the job was pretty good too.

 

Nice job. I get to do this on my son's 1999 RC, and eventually on my 2002 QC and 2001 Durango. Thanks for your information.

 

Hey Modain,

I used the NAPA variety ball joints and they cost about $75.00 (skewed price - cousin works at NAPA ). I couldn't tell who made them, but assume they are good enough parts. My research on the web seems to indicate that Moog has good product and can be found for about $70.00 plus shipping. A floor jack was definitely useful to lift the assembly back into place.

An FYI that you may already know. I used a punch (scribe?) to set a dimple in the center of the rivets before I started drilling (after grinding the heads off). I was worried the bit would drift and I'd have a lopsided hole. I can't emphasis the right tools enough. The $9 drill bit was probably the most useful purchase.

I also had to put one of the 4 bolts in upside down. It was up against something that I didn't want to take out. It must have been OK or the mechanic would have busted me for it when he did the alignment. He seems to be good at that.

Thanks to everyone that offered info on this job. It helped a lot.