Help! I need to identify my upper control arms please! 70 dart.

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yeager

yeager

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Hey guys, working on a 1970 dart with previous work. The car was a 6 cyl. so somewhere along the line someone swapped in disc fronts. On my first drive putting this baby back together the upper ball joint pushed right through of the UCA. I suspect wrong ball joint or the guy before me stripped it out. I am now trying to find the correct upper arms and screw in ball joints. There are no stampings on the uppers, only the lowers # 82459
All of the parts appear to be Mopar stuff, Not aftermarket.

I welded the ball joints in just to get it back to my shop. No judgement please. lol..

Any ideas on what these arms/balljoints are actually off of? where to get them?

Sure appreciate the help fellas.

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let's see a pic of the brakes & rotor... that *should* tell us right quick.
(i suspect i know what they are, but don't want to assume)

in the mean time, measure the upper ball joint:

the square top- land-to-land

1-59/64" is the big joint

1.809" is the small joint
 
They look like the large 73-76 A Body (and as used in the 62-72 B Body ball jounts)
 
Johnny Dart said:
Does the car have small bolt or big bolt pattern ?
Click to expand...
it used to be this was the one true way to tell, but now with the availability of SBP rotors for the 73~76 set up it can throw you for a loop. add into that the upper ball joint adapters and it could really go either way.

seeing the brakes and measuring the joint is the only way to 100% confirm these days.
 
junkyardhero said:
it used to be this was the one true way to tell, but now with the availability of SBP rotors for the 73~76 set up it can throw you for a loop. add into that the upper ball joint adapters and it could really go either way.

seeing the brakes and measuring the joint is the only way to 100% confirm these days.
Click to expand...
SMALL BOLT PATTERN ROTORS, for the 73-76 A body cars?
6 cylinder Drum brake car?
Why in the world would you want anything like that?
I haven't heard of that at all, till you just brought it up.
Ok then, who has them, who do you get them from?
Not to go off track, from the original posters question(s).
 
I have sbp 73-76 rotors. Lets me go to 73-76 front end and keep my wheels.

Anyways.

Looks like the dude has a KH setup (you can see the hard line on the caliper in the first pic), suggesting that he needs little ball joint 67-72 arms.
 
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hemi71x said:
SMALL BOLT PATTERN ROTORS, for the 73-76 A body cars?
6 cylinder Drum brake car?
Why in the world would you want anything like that?
I haven't heard of that at all, till you just brought it up.
Ok then, who has them, who do you get them from?
Not to go off track, from the original posters question(s).
Click to expand...
www.doctordiff.com

10.95" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 1)

10.95" disc brake kit is the largest OEM-style kit for 14" disc brake spec wheels. Works with '62-'72 B-bodies, '67-'76 A-bodies and '70-'74 E-bodies.
www.doctordiff.com www.doctordiff.com
if you run thru the pull down options it'll give 5X4 on a plain rotor

i *think* MBM and pirate jack might also offer them.

the only reason i can see is to retain sbp wheels. like if you got really nice cragars or some vintage keystones, or if you just put new rubber on.
 
junkyardhero said:
it used to be this was the one true way to tell, but now with the availability of SBP rotors for the 73~76 set up it can throw you for a loop. add into that the upper ball joint adapters and it could really go either way.

seeing the brakes and measuring the joint is the only way to 100% confirm these days.
Click to expand...
Yah, but I got to believe that set up is few and far between.

If we know the bolt pattern, at least we will have some kind of fighting chance.
 
OP has Kelsey-Hayes SBP discs, so standard small ball joint UCAs.
Being a slant 6 has no bearing on the fact that it has disc brakes, they were an option available with any engine.
Don't know of anybody offering new or repro small ball joint upper control arms, so a wanted ad would be your best bet. And don't worry about welding the ball joints in, it's common practice to give them a couple of tack welds to hold them in.
 
Ball joint stripped the treads once... see welds, ball joint to A- arm. Not a bad thing, but last use of that A arm probably...
 
Really appreciate all the help> Here is some more info:
1) Its a small bolt pattern, but it appears to be an adapter plate has been added to achieve this.
2) The ball joint is is measuring just barely over 1-3/4" with a tape. square to square. It has K704 Stamped into the steel/ master pro. appears brand new. Im thinking thats the 1.809" ? ( however remember the origin of the post, the ball joint "pushed through" the a arm/stripped the threads, perhaps the previous owner installed the "small" ball joint into the "larger" A-arm? or perhaps the threads are the same and its the ball joint shaft that's different?) Here are some more photos.

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yeager said:
Really appreciate all the help> Here is some more info:
1) Its a small bolt pattern, but it appears to be an adapter plate has been added to achieve this.
2) The ball joint is is measuring just barely over 1-3/4" with a tape. square to square. It has K704 Stamped into the steel/ master pro. appears brand new. Im thinking thats the 1.809" ? ( however remember the origin of the post, the ball joint "pushed through" the a arm/stripped the threads, perhaps the previous owner installed the "small" ball joint into the "larger" A-arm? or perhaps the threads are the same and its the ball joint shaft that's different?) Here are some more photos.

View attachment 1716244050

View attachment 1716244051

View attachment 1716244052

View attachment 1716244053

View attachment 1716244054
Click to expand...
That's not an adapter on the brakes- that's just the stock hub. The rotor attaches to the rear of the hub via a set of swedged wheel lugs.
All stock stuff, including the upper A arms.
If you don't believe me, compare it to the factory service manual and you'll see.
They're available for free at mymopar.com . Get the actual FSM, not a generic Chilton/Haynes/Motor/Whatever manual. It has every bit of information you'll ever need for your car.
 
remytherat said:
This confirms you need little ball joints and 67-72 arms.
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awesome, Appreciate the help. Dumb question: "little" vs "big" ball joint.. are the threads the same, just a difference in shaft diameter? or does the "big/little" refer to the threads?
 
Both, and the whole shape of the arm is different. The big arm is beef when you look at it next to the small arm.
 
yeager said:
awesome, Appreciate the help. Dumb question: "little" vs "big" ball joint.. are the threads the same, just a difference in shaft diameter? or does the "big/little" refer to the threads?
Click to expand...
If the ball joints you installed fit reasonably snug even though the threads were stripped, I'd just tack weld them in another spot or two and call it good. That fix is fairly common on ball joints that were pressed out by folks who didn't know that they threaded in.
 
remytherat said:
Both, and the whole shape of the arm is different. The big arm is beef when you look at it next to the small arm.
Click to expand...

cudamark said:
If the ball joints you installed fit reasonably snug even though the threads were stripped, I'd just tack weld them in another spot or two and call it good. That fix is fairly common on ball joints that were pressed out by folks who didn't know that they threaded in.
Click to expand...
Yea, honestly, thats what I am gonna do. Replacement arms, aren't exactly easy or inexpensive. I can run in a new ball joint , tack it and hit it with some black spray paint and it will undoubtedly last the remainder of my years. This car will probably see no more than about 500 miles a year and not a chance of a single drop of water. I really appreciate originality, but I think I am gonna wave the white flag on this one. Thanks Mark.
 
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