balljoint issue

[snacob14]

im having an issue replacing my loeer balljoints. after i got the stock replacements from oriellys i noticed that they were too small. the would slide in and fall back out. when miced we noticed that the sticks should be 1.975 inches and the replacements were 1.968. no good. anyone ever have this problem?

my other thought was maybe the guy before me changed the crossmember. is there a way to tell.

im at a loss

any advice

[gixxer711]

sounds like you have 73-87 arms. take the balljoint you took out and take it to the parts house to compare with a later model balljoint.
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[snacob14]

I still have drum brakes in front though??? could that be the case with the later arms?

[dougf]

Yes, its possible you just have the 73-87 A-Arms. Without knowing the history of a vehicle who knows what the previous owners did. Im kind of in the same boat!

[chevy_mike]

Someone might have used Moog "Problem Solver" ball joints before. These typically had a larger OD to fit arms that had been wallowed out a little and take up extra space to fit tightly. You likely bought stock type replacements that match stock specs.

Check out a set of the Moog Problem Solver ones and see if they are larger OD to fit your arms. I remember having a set of arms that no ball joint would fit tightly in. I took them to a welder (didn't have my own) and had the put a bead around the outer part of the ball joint hole. This heat causes the hole to shrink and use a standard ball joint.

Gotta love what previous owners do over the years. Good luck!