SKR8PN
Well-Known Member
I have used MOOG in the distant past but been hearing bad things about them as of late. Who has had good luck with what brands?
Who makes quality lower ball joints?
- Thread starter SKR8PN
- Start date
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No one. The cups are all plastic now verses the metal on the older USA made style. That is why I saved every old ball joint on every car if they were tight.
Take the boot off and look at the cup. most all are plastic. Yes even the new made with china parts assembled in USA moog.
Getting a metal banded boot and a grease fitting is rare on suspension parts. Good parts are out there you just have to hunt them as you are. I found some NAPA stores with old stock having them. Like I said look first. Plastic style work , Just don't last on the North East USA pot hole roads.
Reminds me of a road trip we just made to Nashville . Route 81 was being repaved . the second coat was not done so every bridge felt like hitting a curb. By the time we got home the new suspension parts were waisted as was the steering box. The OEM joints were in there for years. So we just install these in this truck . Plastic Cups. Thank god we made the cost up on how cheap the equipment was.
It was 3 in the morning and I was watching my son trying to stay on the road. I said your falling asleep let me drive . Wow I don't know how the hell he was doing 80 mph. I was whipping the wheel back and forth doing 60 while he was snoring away.
Take the boot off and look at the cup. most all are plastic. Yes even the new made with china parts assembled in USA moog.
Getting a metal banded boot and a grease fitting is rare on suspension parts. Good parts are out there you just have to hunt them as you are. I found some NAPA stores with old stock having them. Like I said look first. Plastic style work , Just don't last on the North East USA pot hole roads.
Reminds me of a road trip we just made to Nashville . Route 81 was being repaved . the second coat was not done so every bridge felt like hitting a curb. By the time we got home the new suspension parts were waisted as was the steering box. The OEM joints were in there for years. So we just install these in this truck . Plastic Cups. Thank god we made the cost up on how cheap the equipment was.
It was 3 in the morning and I was watching my son trying to stay on the road. I said your falling asleep let me drive . Wow I don't know how the hell he was doing 80 mph. I was whipping the wheel back and forth doing 60 while he was snoring away.
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
Just curious-
Do you think the ones from the dealer (rather than parts store stuff) would be any better? Undoubtably more expensive, but peace of mind and not having to replace and realign every several thousand miles is worth something.
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Just my $.02...
Bought two Moog rear wheel bearing assemblies for my wife's Lexus RX350, but both went bad after only 6 months or so.
Thankfully they're easy enough to replace....
Bought the next pair from Toyota, and that was over 6 years, and maybe 45k miles, ago.
No more Moog parts going into any of our vehicles.
Gotta carefully shop nowadays to get quality parts... Old Moog TRW and McQuay Norris stuff is really good provided it's made in USA or Canada. Ebay and old parts hordes are where it's at.. If you want a bird on the ground and don't have time to search or just not finding what your needing @mobileparts typically has NOS or NORS the better quality stuff
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
after doing th efront end and using moog lower ball joints on the dart years ago and it never feeling right. it was twitchy deeling and i couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. after reading about the crappy moog stuff that was out there i said screw it and replaced the lower ball joints with XRF lower ball joints.. as soon as i backed it out of the garage i knew it was fixed. something in the one ball joint was binding or something.... not sure if XRF still make them for our cars though. it was hard to find them at the time.. i think it was proforged maybe (not sure if thats the correct name or not) that a lot of guys seem to like on various car forums i've seen..
Can you get 50 year old parts from a dealer anymore? I would say they would have to source them out from somewhere.
Everything on one 3500 single truck with cap was supplied by the Dealer. As part of putting their name on our race car . They provided all the parts and tires for our truck to travel the states. That truck went through 4 sets of ball joints in two years and I lost track of front tires. The best truck out of the bunch was the 93 last picture. Everything was original and had over 200k. They don't make things like they use to. Good luck on your hunt .
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
Well, I wasn't referring to the dealer having 50 year old parts available, I meant ones for your truck. But your experience with dealer supplied parts for your tow rig answers that question, I guess!
junkyardhero
Well-Known Member
for ball joints i've been using mevotech supreme and on occasion when i can find them USA made dorman (small joint uppers) or delco gold series.
most everything else is trash. it'll work but don't expect a lot of service life out of it.
if you can find dead stock or old NOS that's another way to go.
the only thing moog i'll run these days is their offset UCA bushings.
most everything else is trash. it'll work but don't expect a lot of service life out of it.
if you can find dead stock or old NOS that's another way to go.
the only thing moog i'll run these days is their offset UCA bushings.
junkyardhero
Well-Known Member
proforged makes good stuff, i really like their LCA bushings.
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
I guess the lesson to be learned here is to make sure the parts actually NEED to be replaced, and you're not replacing them "just because".
If it ain't broke...
If it ain't broke...
SKR8PN
Well-Known Member
They need replaced for sure. 1971 Challenger, rotisserie restoration. Can't be 1000 miles on the car since completed. LBJ's are shot, destroyed the front tires already.
This ^^^^^ rat cheer.
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
here ya go, from 2015... DANGEROUS PRODUCT = Moog Ball Joints
Old stock is out there.
Suspension Ball Joint Moog K783 DODGE PLYMOUTH | eBay
Suspension Ball Joint Moog K783 DODGE PLYMOUTH | eBay
Never had good luck with Delco. Had a set of rotors on my 2007 Ram 1500 that rotted like they were tin foil. Funny story.........I took them off and leaned them against the wall of the shop 'til the next time I was heading to the recycling center. A week later, the inner and outer surface had separated, and 1/2 was laying on the floor.
junkyardhero
Well-Known Member
yeah, a lot of the regular delco stuff is hit or miss but i've found the delco gold series stuff to be pretty consistently good quality. especially their suspension bits.
and for some reason their starters & alternators.
try mobileparts - member here
I’ve got Proforged brand lower ball joints in my Duster. They seem to be higher quality than anything Moog has made in over a decade, have been holding up well so far but I’ve probably only got a few thousand miles on them. I have their tie rod ends and I believe a pitman arm as well, they’ve been the best I’ve found lately.
But I wouldn’t run 30+ year old “NOS”
stuff either, plenty of that crap won’t hold up either if it hasn’t been stored well. No telling what you’ll actually get.
But I wouldn’t run 30+ year old “NOS”
stuff either, plenty of that crap won’t hold up either if it hasn’t been stored well. No telling what you’ll actually get.
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
Dave999
Well-Known Member
these guys
http://www.sankei-555.com
Used to make metal on metal ball joints under their own 555 brand and for many many other companies for reboxing as their own parts.
i have 555 lowers and they are pretty damn good. obviously mine have an adjusted design for RHD, slightly different angle of the levers to the track rods, you would need 2-3 full turns out on the track rod end to use on a LHD car...
with the seals off what you could see looked like a clone of what was taken off and that looked original.
http://www.sankei-555.com
Used to make metal on metal ball joints under their own 555 brand and for many many other companies for reboxing as their own parts.
i have 555 lowers and they are pretty damn good. obviously mine have an adjusted design for RHD, slightly different angle of the levers to the track rods, you would need 2-3 full turns out on the track rod end to use on a LHD car...
with the seals off what you could see looked like a clone of what was taken off and that looked original.
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