Lower Ball Joints - Sealing & Adjusting

[Jeff Boulais]

I'm doing some prep for an up coming event & decided to give the front suspension a complete inspection since I haven't had it apart before. I found a few things that may be of issue-

1) The lower ball joint sealing boot is not the correct size, as you can hopefully see in the photos it does not seal around the ball joint shaft. I did not find any major debris in the joint but I'll have a hard time sleeping at night if it's not sealed properly Is there an updated boot?

2) Is there a torque or recommended procedure for adjusting the lower ball joint? I'm comfortable doing this by feel alone but if anyone has specific info that would be great to post it here.

3) The upper A-Arm movement was quite stiff, I suspected a bad heim joint (spherical bearing) but as I loosened the pivot bolt the movement was much improved & upon removal of the arm I found that I could rotate the bearing with my finger. It must be under a considerable amount of side load. Any advise? Could it have been over tightened? Or maybe I need to shim the pivot?

 

[DaveM]

Are you talking about the pivot bolt on the upright or the ones on the tub? As to the rubber boot I had mine apart once and I think it fit tighter than yours, but it seems to seal pretty well vertically anyway. Does anyone know what vehicle the plastic races for the lower ball joint come from? I had mine replaced on a warranty claim and the part bag was a South African company, but I couldn't reference the number.

 

[Steve C]

Jeff,

Can you describe the proceedure you used to disassemble the lower A arm/ball joint and how tight was the purchase of the upright to the ball joint taper (did you use a ball joint fork or what?).

Tx, Steve

 

[Jeff Boulais]

Swift - I was referring to the pivots that attach to the chassis. I ended up getting a piece of tubing to make a shim for the right hand upper rear heim, it now moves very nicely! No noticeable change in performance, but at least I know it's set up properly.

 

[Jeff Boulais]

Jeff,

Can you describe the proceedure you used to disassemble the lower A arm/ball joint and how tight was the purchase of the upright to the ball joint taper (did you use a ball joint fork or what?).

Tx, Steve

Steve,

The lower ball joint is pretty simple - there's a threaded "cup" on the bottom of the joint that you must remove, then thread the nut back on the spindle to avoid damage to the threads & gently tap it downwards. In my case the plastic bushing rings came out pretty easily by using a small pick to work them out of the housing. If the spindle takes more than gentle taps to remove I suggest using a brass or plastic hammer.

 

[Steve C]

Jeff,

Thanks for your reply.

Did you get better boots? If so please advise what and where.

Thanks again.

Steve

 

[Jeff Boulais]

I did find a set of boots that fit very well, but unfortunately I failed to get the part number for them! I ended up going to a local company that specializes in polyurethane bushings, bump stops, etc. & they gave me a set gratis! I was so happy to get something that worked I walked out without getting more details. However - if you have your car apart & can measure the joint you can find the correct piece Daystar's catalog. From memory the correct boot is the smaller of the two closest sizes.

Daystar - Driven by Design

 

[Christoph Widmer]

Hello Jeff,

I have been in contact with our father and am the owner of the E-type he owned back in 70-71. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from your father lately and hope all is well. Could you please get in touch with me?

Best regards, Christoph Widmer

 

[Jeff Boulais]

Hi Christoph,

I've sent you an Email.

Jeff