How long can I drive with a bad upper ball joint?

I want to do a front end rebuild while I am at it, but I am still doing research on how to spend my money best.

I was wanting to do a kit thing, but I am not sure on what to get.

PST vs Energy Suspension

Polyurethane vs Polygraphite vs OEM

Aftermarket Upper Control Arm since I have to rivit them in ???

 

That depends on what you mean by bad.

If you just mean starting to show it's age, then what's a few more weeks?

If you mean clunking, groaning, creaking, scraping, bone-dry grinding, then times up. It would be suck to be in a ditch with three wheels.

As far as what to buy: If you have any interest in competing, the first thing to do is buy a rulebook and se what's allowed in your class.

 

Fix it now. That'll take the pressure of time out of your other decisions. And while you're at it, consider replacing the other UBJ (it's just as old). Make sure that you get it aligned afterward.

I've had one of those things fail while in motion (a 15 mph corner did it in). On a new car with only a few thousand miles on the odometer. Didn't get any warning before it let go completely.

BTW, replacement UBJ's just bolt in using the holes in the control arm that the OE rivets went through. Cutting the rivets off is a PITA, but you'll only have to do that job once per UCA.

Norm

 

If you're taking them off and you have everything that much apart then go ahead and replace all the bushings. I just replaced my 150K mile bushings with Energy Suspension bushings and I love them. The steering is MUCH more precise and responds much quicker. I replaced EVERYTHING else when I did it so I can't really tell you how much the bushings changed things but I know this, my alignment was SO far off after it was done, it was unbelievable (more than 1" of toe) which tells me I should have replaced them a long time ago.

 

Sweet, that saves me from having to buy a rivit gun!

I was planning to bo both at the same time!

Does anybody have any problems with the PST kit ??? Is polygraphite really worth more that polyurethane (isn't it just graphite injected polyurethane???) I dont see any upper ball joints listed from energy suspension...

 

I guess I wasn't thinking cleaarly. The only things you have to remove to get to the upper ball joint are the wheel and the swaybar endlink.

That is really a much simpler project than redoing the whole front end, so it really isn't necessary to try to do it all together (unlike, say, shocks, which are a PITA).

The alignment shouldn't change a LOT from changing the balljoint, but I'd still get it checked.

 

Wouldn't getting the rivets out involve removing the upper control arm???

 

The lower ball joint is the one that gets most of the stress. If you're replacing ball joints, make sure you do those. Anyway you cut it, you've got to take stuff apart, while it's in pieces, do everything you can afford to do.

 

My UPPER balljoint is the one that is bad

I ordered the PST Polygraphite Front End rebuild Kit for $249

Each Kit Includes:

2 Upper Ball Joints
2 Lower Ball Joints
2 Outer Tie Rod Ends
4 POLYGRAPHITE® Upper Inner Control Arm Bushings
2 or 4 POLYGRAPHITE® Lower Inner Control Arm Bushings
2 POLYGRAPHITE® Strut Rod Bushings (if required)
2 POLYGRAPHITE® Stabilizer Links
2 POLYGRAPHITE® Sway Bar Bushings
Control Arm Bumpers (for most models)

All the stuff thats not Polygraphite is MOOG, or so I've heard. Not sure. I thought it was worth it for all that!

Any other stuff to finish the FRONT suspension rebuild???

I am throwing around the possibility of getting a stiffer rear sway bar, so I am not touching the rear just yet!

 

Well, while it's all apart, springs and shocks would be what I'd suggest. It all comes down to money!!!!!!!!!!

 

Not really. Unless you're going to use a drill press, I think you could do it on the car.

After you pop the stearing knuckle off the upper balljoint (very easy), you should be able to get to the balljoint rivets ok.

Of course, rebuilding the front is even better, it's just a MUCH bigger job (probably several days instead of several hours).

 

I will probably end up doing this in peices. I will start with the upper ball joint if I can and put the other peices on as I find time to do so. I'll only have a few hours at a time...

I have somewhat new shocks thats for sure. I just bought the car, and its obvious that there not original, however they are DELCO...

I think I will fix the brake squeel before I go onto the shocks/springs route.

I have brand new Dunlup 215/55/R16 tires on there with the AA Traction I got them for practically nothing. Traded some thirdgen parts I had laying around

 

I don't think you quite grasp the nature of front end work on these cars. The upper ball joint, brakes, and swaybar aren't bad. Beyond that, it's a major PITA and it's not at all practical to do one thing at a time, because you have to almost totally dismantle it to do ANYTHING.

So yes, the ball joint is a few hour job.

For the rest of it, set aside a weekend or just pay to have it done. It gets a little faster when you've done it a few times, but not much.

You'll also need an alignment job after every time you change anything on the front other than brakes and the swaybar.

 

This is the kind of advice I came on here to recieve! thanks!