Ball joint socket size and where to purchase?

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clementine said:
Id wait. But my build has taken awhile.
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I appreciate that. I’m just now getting into the front end and refreshing necessary parts while the engine bay is nice and empty… I have a soft budget and didn’t expect brakes, suspension and steering to be so costly… maybe that’s just me being a baby with working man money but yikes… but those are all safety related features and I cannot take any unnecessary risks to save a few bucks. Next is seeing the drums can be turned and a hardware kit, then the idea of a sway bar and the LCAs with tabs for it, but for now the steering and ball joints. Thanks again for your help!
 
No need for a spare pair, if they are loose just tack weld them in.
@townsend what size was the ball joint?
I believe there are 3 different sizes.
townsend said:
Just did a test fit on the early small ball joint 2298533 and found a tight fit on all 3 sockets listed in post #4.
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coast2coastkidd85 said:
Now I’m concerned… “normal” from the factory or as in “someone’s already been in there” Do I need to plan on finding and buying a spare pair of upper control arms just in case? I just ordered the socket and it’ll be here next week hopefully…

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4spdragtop said:
No need for a spare pair, if they are loose just tack weld them in.
@townsend what size was the ball joint?
I believe there are 3 different sizes.
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I actually just got the socket I ordered in the mail yesterday and it does fit it’s the Proto 6549-L. Ill give it a try this evening hopefully and see if they come out peacefully. Been smoking every other day in pb for over a week. Thanks to @townsend for the socket size breakdown list!
 
RAT ROD AL said:
Off Amazon. Many different ones but smallest is this one.



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Hey there I don’t remember where we left off in the conversation but I got the socket I ordered yesterday in the mail and did check and it’s a direct fit! I haven’t tried it just yet hopefully this evening I’ll keep ya posted but the Proto 6549-L fits nicely. See the other options @townsend listed in post #4

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That's the kit I have and the 1 59/64" is sloppier than a ***** on payday. I measured a ball joint and it's 1.80. See Al's pic he posted.

What is the actual size of the socket?
coast2coastkidd85 said:
I actually just got the socket I ordered in the mail yesterday and it does fit it’s the Proto 6549-L. Ill give it a try this evening hopefully and see if they come out peacefully. Been smoking every other day in pb for over a week. Thanks to @townsend for the socket size breakdown list!
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Scody21 said:
For A bodies there is 2 sizes. There is this kit that has both

648749 Specialty Ball Joint... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028QGT8Q?tag=fabo03-20
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4spdragtop said:
That's the kit I have and the 1 59/64" is sloppier than a ***** on payday. I measured a ball joint and it's 1.80. See Al's pic he posted.

What is the actual size of the socket?
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I did not say they were the best. But they worked for the few sets of UCA I’ve done and the few sets friends have done, so for the 50 bucks or whatever I paid, they paid for themselves.
 
I wasn't trying to imply you said that. I'm just stating my experience with them. That's why I think there is a smaller one than the 1 59/64.
I'm still waiting for a dimension of the Proto Tool socket. As I mentioned it would've been nice for Mancini to list socket size lol.
Scody21 said:
I did not say they were the best. But they worked for the few sets of UCA I’ve done and the few sets friends have done, so for the 50 bucks or whatever I paid, they paid for themselves.
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Update: the upper ball joints are out! The proto socket fit snugly and they came out without a fight… well soaking in a bath of pb for over a week anyway… but I wonder about the threads you guys have been mentioning… here’s a few pictures… am I in trouble with the threads as is for new ball joint to be able to catch? Or should I think about replacing control arms or consider the Tac weld idea? Thank you everyone for your participation and feedback! Calling it a night for now. I think she’s knows I’m here to help…

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Per the service manual, you need to be able to torque the ball joint to a minimum of 125 ft-lbs. If you can't get it to do that, time for a few spot welds. It's not a bad idea anyway. If this is a hobby car and not a daily driver, with regular greasing the new ball joints should last forever.

This is from a 1965 manual I downloaded from mymopar.com
You'll notice it says to replace the control arms if you can't get the 125 ft-lbs. That's what the tack welds are for. As long as the control arms aren't bent, rusted or cracked to the point of having lost their integrity, you'll be good.
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coast2coastkidd85 said:
Your ball joints were tack welded in? :wtf:
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That is actually pretty common. It is (or was) not at all uncommon for a guy to take his car in to have front end work done, and the mechanic did not know they were threaded. They got manhandled out and the new ones got pressed in. Then they got tack welded in place. Maybe the mechanic saw the error and tried to cover it up. OR the ball joints were hopelessly stuck and the threads were damaged during removal.

IN FACT, I worked at a car parts place for 5 years after I got out of the Air Force while I was going back to school to get an MBA (73-78). I was the manager on duty one night when a guy came in demanding not only a refund on some JUNK upper ball joints that popped out, but he wanted us to pay the bill for new upper control arms, ball joints and labor. The company would have paid it if I had not been on duty. I asked him what happened, and he told me that he did all the work himself, but he did take the upper control arms to a place to have the old ball joints pressed out and the new ones pressed in. I got some new ones off the shelf, showed him the threads and explained the error of his ways. He was upset in the very beginning, but he calmed down a lot after that. He was so decent about it that I warrantied out the ball joints for him and suggested either new control arms or tack welding.

I have done complete rebuilds on several Mopar front ends. The first time was before the internet, and I did not know about the ball joint sockets. I used a large pipe / monkey wrench, and it worked fine. It will leave a few marks on the new ball joint during installation, but it does work!
 
I appreciate the spec sheet and the details! I will keep that in order once I get to that point, very much appreciated for taking the time to share that! Thank you. Hopefully I’ll have another update sometime soon once I figure out what I’m doing for front end suspension parts… thankful they came out without a torch or any caveman tactics :thumbsup:
 
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harrisonm said:
That is actually pretty common. It is (or was) not at all uncommon for a guy to take his car in to have front end work done, and the mechanic did not know they were threaded. They got manhandled out and the new ones got pressed in. Then they got tack welded in place. Maybe the mechanic saw the error and tried to cover it up. OR the ball joints were hopelessly stuck and the threads were damaged during removal.

IN FACT, I worked at a car parts place for 5 years after I got out of the Air Force while I was going back to school to get an MBA (73-78). I was the manager on duty one night when a guy came in demanding not only a refund on some JUNK upper ball joints that popped out, but he wanted us to pay the bill for new upper control arms, ball joints and labor. The company would have paid it if I had not been on duty. I asked him what happened, and he told me that he did all the work himself, but he did take the upper control arms to a place to have the old ball joints pressed out and the new ones pressed in. I got some new ones off the shelf, showed him the threads and explained the error of his ways. He was upset in the very beginning, but he calmed down a lot after that. He was so decent about it that I warrantied out the ball joints for him and suggested either new control arms or tack welding.

I have done complete rebuilds on several Mopar front ends. The first time was before the internet, and I did not know about the ball joint sockets. I used a large pipe / monkey wrench, and it worked fine. It will leave a few marks on the new ball joint during installation, but it does work!
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Boy if that didn’t experience didn’t imprint the threaded balls joints on you and that guy I don’t know what would… wow, quite a memory to recall and thank you so much for sharing.

Had i not joined the FABO I probably would have fallen down the same hole… priceless experience and knowledge here so thanks for the perspective!

Well I’ve got a plan from everyone’s input… find a decent upper ball joint… double check threads nice and clean, maybe a little anti seize… walk them up in torque and see if I get a final “click” at 125… then maybe a healthy Tac or two to keep them honest haha. Thanks again for story and tips!
 
coast2coastkidd85 said:
Boy if that didn’t experience didn’t imprint the threaded balls joints on you and that guy I don’t know what would… wow, quite a memory to recall and thank you so much for sharing.

Had i not joined the FABO I probably would have fallen down the same hole… priceless experience and knowledge here so thanks for the perspective!

Well I’ve got a plan from everyone’s input… find a decent upper ball joint… double check threads nice and clean, maybe a little anti seize… walk them up in torque and see if I get a final “click” at 125… then maybe a healthy Tac or two to keep them honest haha. Thanks again for story and tips!
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The threads in your control arms didn't look too bad. Make sure you clean the old threads well, and use some anti seize. I'm sure you know this. but install the new ball joint when the upper control arm is installed in place.
 
harrisonm said:
The threads in your control arms didn't look too bad. Make sure you clean the old threads well, and use some anti seize. I'm sure you know this. but install the new ball joint when the upper control arm is installed in place.
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Absolutely! That’s why I waited for the socket and kept soaking them in pb, a lot of suggestions to keep the control arms in place during removal and installation, and it worked well!
 
Late to the party. I could never figure out why the ball joints were designed with such a odd size on the flats. What were they thinking? :BangHead: :BangHead: :lol: 1 59/64" ??? WTF
 
I measured a small ball joint and got the same measurement as @RAT ROD AL 1 13/16.
www.forabodiesonly.com

Ball joint socket size and where to purchase?

Good morning, FABO, i apologize if this topic has already been covered and I’m just unable to find the correct thread. I’m currently in the beginning stages of refreshing the front end on a 1965 Barracuda 273 v8 with front and rear drum brakes. For the upper ball joint, I’d like to know what...
www.forabodiesonly.com www.forabodiesonly.com

A body small Ball joint.JPG
 
JDMopar said:
I measured a small ball joint and got the same measurement as @RAT ROD AL 1 13/16.
www.forabodiesonly.com

Ball joint socket size and where to purchase?

Good morning, FABO, i apologize if this topic has already been covered and I’m just unable to find the correct thread. I’m currently in the beginning stages of refreshing the front end on a 1965 Barracuda 273 v8 with front and rear drum brakes. For the upper ball joint, I’d like to know what...
www.forabodiesonly.com www.forabodiesonly.com

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That digital caliper that measures fractions is pretty handy I bet.
 
JDMopar said:
Yep, but I only use it for a "Hand Grenades and Horse Shoes" type measurement. I go to my buddy at the machine shop for REALLY important stuff.
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Closer than a yard stick!
 
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