Ball joint replacement. need help

[oldirtyb]

So im in the process of replacing my front lower ball joint on my 96 mustang cobra. I've already pressed in the new ball joint. But now i have a problem tightening the bolt to hold the spindle on the ball joint.

I have an impact wrench but all it does is turn the ball joint and I cant tighten it down. The ball joint i bought was from oreilys/checkers master pro. instead of a nut with the nylon thread lock thing, it has this metal part that is deformed on the top threads. Anyways as soon as i hit that section, it will just spin the ball joint.

Ive went to a hardware store to try find a nut with the same size/thread count but it seems like the master pro threads are slightly different. so i cant find a nut to fight the ball joint.

Anyone have a similar issue or any suggestions on what to do. I'd hate to have to buy another ball joint and do this all over again cause of a stupid nut.

 

[wmburns]

Pictures?

Does the ball joint stud have a slot or hex shaft on top? If so, ditch the impact tool and try holding the stud with hand tools. Use a hand wrench to tighten the bolt. Once the tappered part of the stud is pulled into the spindle, it should stop turning.

If it does not, there's something wrong with the ball joint or someone has modified the spindle.

 

[oldirtyb]

no it does not have a hex shaft. Even the old ball joint (im assuming its the stock/original one) didnt have a hex shaft so i could hold it in place.

Unless I need to put the strut back on and then tighten the nut with a wrench? That way the strut can put pressure on the ball joint. But if i remember correctly, there is little room to fit a socket in there. I dont have a 24mm wrench but i do have a monkey wrench. Im just afraid if i do get the bolt going and it stops half way through and gets stuck, now i dont have a way of getting it off.

 

[birdman941]

Put the floor jack or jackstand directly under the ball joint,
lower the corner so it is supporting the load. (spring compressed)
That will press it in enough to lock in the BJ stud.
Only lift one corner at a time, the more weight on the BJ the better.

 

[oldirtyb]

well tried putting back on the strut and the spindle, then jacking up the lower control arm to put pressur on the balljoint/stud. And still couldnt tighten the nut without the ball joint spinning.

Im gonna return this ball joint and buy the expensive one. Now i gotta do this all over again on my weekend.

 

[LarsD]

What brand did you buy at first? I put MOOG joints in my 91 when I did it's suspension in April and it went smoothly.

 

[patman0911]

Weird. Is the shaft spinning in the joint or is the whole thing spinning in the A-arm?

If the whole thing is spinning then the hole is been stretched out (which is why Ford intended for you to replace the A-arm as a unit, which would be great if they still made them) you'll need to get it tacked in place or replace it with an oversized joint.

If the shaft is spinning then you could try tapping on the spindle to see if you can get it to seat just enough to give you the friction you need to hold it still. Or, you could stack some oversized nuts and a bunch of washers on the spindle so that you can pull the spindle down on the shaft a little at a time with the locking part of the nut off the threads, until the spindle is on enough to hold it on its own.

I put Moogs on mine and they have castle nuts and a cotter pin like the stockers did so there weren't any problems like what you're having.

 

[oldirtyb]

The brand is Master Pro. I guess thats Oreily's/Checkers own brand.

The shaft/ball joint is spinning, not the whole unit. I am going to buy the moog brand next and hope its not similar.

 

[wil5257]

Were you able to get the Moog joint in there ok? I am going to do the ball joints on my 96 Cobra as well and was going to use the local parts store house brand but may upgrade to avoid any install hassles.

 

[joshjwc9]

The Moog's are quality parts. I have friends who are running Moog ball joints, inner and out tie rods. I'm using the Moog inner tie rods on my Mustang..went in smoothly!

 

[BannonJr]

Yea, the bolt part of the ball joint unseats itself and can be a pain...

You can try compressing the bolt and the joint...squeezing it back together but that rarely works.

If you can find a nut that's clean enough with no nylon, try putting it on, putting a ton of lube and work it slowly, once the tapered part of the ball joint seats in the arm it will stop spinning but can be a pain to get there.

It happens more often than you think...but not with Steeda Ball Joints