I put new ball joints in not too long ago, and now I have this. If I raise the vehicle up off of the wheels I can tap this all the way down with a rubber mallet. Could it be a bad ball joint or could the part it presses into be damaged

 

That ball joint is likely fine, but will likely need to be tack welded in place, as it may have been pressed in crooked and now won't stay in place due to the hole being wallowed out a bit. While you're at it, might want to take a close look at those U-joints, as they may need attention, too. Thanks for providing such a clear photo of the issue.

 

Let's say the hole is damaged, is there a way to fix that without tack welding the ball joint?

 

Not really. Could cut it off, and weld on a new one, but, tacking the joint is MUCH easier.

 

Would it be an issue if I took the ball joint out and tack a few spots on the inside to create a tighter tolerance? Or possibly add a .005" shim sheet between the wallowed hole and the ball joint? Rather not tack weld the BJ to the "C" for later serviceability.

 

What brand is the ball joint? Back when I replaced the u-joints on my 1997, I fought and fought with the one until my machinist neighbor measured it with his caliper. Sure enough, it was .0010 too large and was made in China. I took it back to the store to exchange and pay for the different of a US made u-joint that fit properly. I'm thinking you probably have a kwality part instead of a quality part.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure of the brand, I asked my wife to order them four years ago, and just got around to putting them in a few weeks ago. I do remember that they didn't exactly look the same, I didn't think to take measurements. I might go on and order Moog problem solvers.

 

Don't feel bad about that. I ordered a bunch of parts for my 2007 and was attempting to install them this past weekend when everything went south. The ball joint press I rented from O'Reilly's didn't fit, and my own shop press is torn down. I ended up buying a front end kit from Rock Auto which includes new control arms with the ball joints already installed. I can't return the other tie rod ends and ball joints, but I'll keep the old control arms and press the new parts in when I have time. After that, I'll get new bushings as well. Next time I have to service everything, I'll be able to quickly swap parts and it will all be good.

It also wouldn't have mattered in my situation because the front wheel bearings are bad on both sides, so I had to order new hubs.

 

You aren't welding the ball joint in. Don't run a bead all the way around it, just tack it in a couple spots, so when the time comes to change it again, you just knock if off with a chisel, or grinder.

 

He said he can tap it into the spindle with a rubber mallet. IMHO, that's bad. Ball joints should be a major bear to press into place. I know what you're saying about tacking them into place, but I think that's kind of iffy if the weld will hold up to that kind of stress.