I finally massed all the parts to replace the POS no name arms on my Ram. I have my front end apart and am currently trying to get my new ball joints in my new fabtech arms. I am using the ball joint press I got from Kragen, I thought it was working fine, but I can't get the balljoint to seat far enough to put the snap ring on inside the arm. Eye balling the two that I have not done it looks like the shoulder on the ball joint is at least 1/32" taller than the gap below the snap ring guide. My old arms don't have snap rings, do I need these? Have you guys had this problem before? What do I do?

Year is 1995.

 

Are you using Fabtech ball joints or factory type ball joints?

 

Factory type, the Spicers with the blue boots. The instructions with the arms say stock type are what the arms use.

 

in 95 the stock joint in a stock c-arm had a snap ring and a tach weld.. the snap ring is for satfed...wait me are talking about the lower right?? because they are the only one with the ring.

do you have a adavance auto close by they rent/loan a nice press

on a stock c-arm this is the way i put it in....

the part you put the wrench is up... pointing to the fender


me more help let us know... i also have alot more pics to help

 

I'm talking about the upper arm, it's a fabtech. The instructions say to make sure the snap ring seats fully. I have the press kit in the pic above. I've put my whole 260lbs into my 2' breaker bar and it won't press in any further, so that snap ring isn't gonna go in. I'm thinking that since the old arm didn't have a snap ring, and the factory arms don't have snap rings that I'm not going to sweat it. Press fit is press fit, right? As long as the bolt on the other side of the spindle is tight it's not like anything can fall off, right?

 

correct... i don't know why your top joint has a ring.... but your right it can go no were...


mine didn't


post sum pic's when it all done.... oh good luck

 

So, today was a failure, I started pressing the balljoints into the uppers while the penetrating oil marinated on the lower balljoints at the spindle. Now it's nearly 5 o'clock, the forks are doing nothing to separate the spindle from the ball joint, and I have no vehicle to go rent a puller. I hate balljoints. Thanks for helping me out withe the snap ring advice though.

I don't have a torx large enough to take the caliper off the spindle, I had planned to work around it, but since I need more tools anyway I will pick one up tomorrow, what size is it?

Can a mod please change the title, it's not an emergency any more.