Needing to replace mine. I see some online for ridiculous high prices and then a set of 4 on ebay for $93. Is there a middle ground or is it just premium priced or china made junk?
I'll be following this. My '55 came to me with new looking ball joints. After some adjustments I took it to an alignment shop and they said the joints were loose and needed replacing with an estimate of over $900. I can't find any slop in them in my shop so I'm going to another shop for a second opinion.
in the case of ball joints or anything your life and others depend on.the old adage comes to mind the 93 $ ones would only be good for wall hangers.this is not to say cost equals quality but in this case.Ford had a pretty well built ball joint if you are not sure have a front end person check them out before spending your money
I was going to rebuild the front end on mine just because it was old. After reading several conversations like this I will replace as needed. What to buy is a tough question, maybe who you buy from is the real question, as in a trusted source.
Dont mind spending the money on it for safeties sake but geez thats a hefty price for ball joints. Was wondering more or less if that high pricing had that "vintage car tax" some sellers add to things.
In the past you could usually depend on NAPA parts to be dependable. I'm not so sure any more. They list ball joints made by Rare Parts, Diamond series chassis part and sell for ~$90 each. The features and benefits say that the exceed original specifications.
Thats where I had looked, seemed odd that one place was $90 each and then next option was $93 for all four. Spose I'll pony up the almost $400 if I must but ouch that hurts
Mac's and Dearborn has them for slightly less ($78 each) so with the set of 4 and some new tie rod ends It's looking like $355. Bologna sandwiches are on the menu for the rest of the week
I think I posted this last year........I saw ball joints on ebay cheap, can't remember exact, but 35-45ish each. They were advertised as Diamond series by Rare Parts. Rare Parts direct sells the '57 ball joint for 150ish each. After a few emails to the ebay guy, I called Rare Parts. He said their Diamond Series is made in their own shop here in the USA. I asked about the price difference, and he simply replied there was no was the Ebay ones were Diamond Series at that price. He did say if they were in fact Diamond series, they would be stamped/embossed(?) with either an RP or a Diamond. I also asked him where the rubber boots were made (the reason I'm going to replace mine...sometime down the road), and he didn't know!!! WTF??? To my knowledge, they are the only ones still made in the USA
Always lube the ball joints and all of the suspension before you test them for play,what a lot of people don't know is the original 1954-56 ball joints were also used in the old Checker Cabs so the OEM's are pretty beefy and better material than most of the offshore stuff you would end up with today. The "you need ball joints" scam has been going on for decades I worked in both Sears and Montgomery Wards auto centers and consumer affairs were kept busy busting and fining them and issuing temporary shut downs because of that. One instance that got Wards busted in California was the Bureau of Auto Repair used a "scam car" a 70's Impala that they put all new parts in and sprayed the underneath with oil and drove over the dirtiest roads they could find and then brought it to various auto centers to be checked and the estimates would be all over the place. Learn to do your own check up and don't trust the shops a second and third opinion should be done if you feel you can't do it your self.
I got a 54 Victoria and a 56 Bird. The front ends on both needed to have all the bushings replaced but the ball joints were in very good condition. I know the 54 had less that 55,000 original miles so I can understand that they might not need replacement, but the Bird had untold miles (over 100,000) but the ball joints were still good. Replaced in the past? - I don't know. So have the ball joints checked (procedure in shop manual?) before just replacing them because the car is old.
I just had this happen this weekend. Our 2002 Tahoe was pulling to the right. I took it to our local Les Schwab for a $98 Alignment. They called pretty quick to tell me the Ball Joints were shot with an estimate of $1200. It would cost so much because they "had" to order the Upper Control Arm as well. Not sure if you're familiar w/ Les Schwab, but their Brake Job costs over $500 an axle because they install a Loaded Caliper instead of just changing the Brake Pads.. Just like New is their pitch....but I digress. I picked the Tahoe up and took it to another guy. A lot further away, but he had worked on a couple of my cars in the past and has always been very direct and honest with what was wrong, what needed to be replaced, and what did not. Sure enough, Ball Joints were fine. "Surprisingly stiff" were his exact words. Walked out paying $78 for the alignment. Well worth the price, the savings, and the reminder that once you find an honest mechanic, it's worth the drive.
Last night I was doing some more inspection. They honestly feel fine i belive they may just need a new set of boots. Gonna have a friend come by tonight and give a second opinion though. Id hardly think they were actually bad with the car only having 38k miles on it
Dave posted a test for them just be aware that requires an inch lb wrench not the normal torque wrench.the one I use is a 3/8"drive. I am sure you will find the ones you have will allow you to throw a steak or two on the bbqas others said,the biggest problem is the boots Jeff has posted a link to ES for the urethane boots
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/universal-dust-boots.asp Write down the part number you want then go to your local Autozone or O'Reilly or Pep Boys store they can have them overnight from their warehouse and you won't pay shipping.
Rare parts has their ball joints for a 55 ford listed for $65 each. A lot more than Ebay yes, but they are a reputable company and the part is to EXCEED O.E. and aftermarket. They will be getting my money. plus i'm sure they stand behind their products. with ebay, you'll probably be lucky to get a response from the seller. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rareparts/
I will check out Rare Parts. For my car, I got a set at Concours Ford... horrible quality but I used them. I like to be able to spin the stud so I can line up the cotter pin, these were real tight. The boots one by one are cracking, even before I put one mile on the car. I believe the lower on my '59 is the odd one, the uppers are available in Moog. How is that place PST for quality?
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