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Smooth in splined ball joint

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7K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  rgsauger  
#1 ·
Hey guys iv tried this already in the suspension forum but only got one response im changing the front driver side ball joints with spicer units on my 06 and discovered my lower ball joint was splined. Now the question i have is do i have to stay with splined because i have smooth replacements. I can slide it in 3/4 of the way by hand and the last 1/4 will have to be pressed to get the snap ring on. Can i still make this work or do i have to get a new splined lower?? i just read spicer ball joints are flared slightly on top which i think is why ill have to finish with the press i just dont want to mess it up and have it become a safety issue. I did read that you can use a chisel and make little dimples to make it more snug. The joint is very snug when it gets up higher and does not rotate at all. Or should i say it and get a napa splined which is 5 mins from my house??
 
#2 ·
if you need to drive truck asap worse of 2 evils go with splined napa,
not going to be much different than spicer.
right thing to do if you have time, measure diameter needed
call dynatrac they make some knurled bodies
IMO, chisel/punch method is asking for trouble, could end up ruining axle if not already.
 
#3 ·
Sorry, don't have an answer for you and I saw your other post as well. I'm also interested in a response from someone who knows what you're up against. Like if you wanted to go with Carli's or Dynatrac's or ? after finding out the previous ones were splined. :confused013:
 
#4 ·
Well I did get a response from another member in my other post saying he did the punch method which I guess there's a write up some where from carlis which is what he put in . You are just raising the metal slightly. (Peening) I think is what it's called. As I see it the slot is only probably going to get worse with the splined units. I'll give this a shot, but does anyone know if I'm suppose to do this at an angle down or angle up from bottom?
 
#5 ·
The way I understand it, splined ball joints are slightly oversized from standard ball joints in order to get a tight fit. Moog's are infamous for being larger. When you replace the ball joints, if they arent tight, they will wobble in their bores and ruin your axle (the way I understand it). I would NOT 'peen' the inside of your bores, I would try to determine the diameter of your bores and find a replacement of the same dimension or brand as you have. Peening will ultimately ruin your axle and cause you more headaches and money down the road. Peening is a used car lot trick.
 
#6 ·
Ya that does make sense. I guess I'll try the Napa ones. The truck is driven under 10k a year so even if they last 30k it'll be better than nothing. I don't have the funds to cough up $650 for dynatrac at the moment so I'm stuck with what I have.
 
#7 ·
One more question I did get the Napa one which is the exact same size should I cost the splines with some anti seize to help install?
 
#9 ·
It won't hurt anything if you want to put some anti seize on the ball joint to help with install.