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I've got the ball joints started top and bottom but why does my castle go past the cotter key hole and how do you hold the shafts top and bottom in order to get the nuts tight-The threaded shaft have flat screwdriver type slots in the bottom of each do they assist in holding the shaft still while you tighten?
Loosen the nut back up and try to wiggle the threaded stud portion of the balljoint that the nut threads on. If it loosens right up and you can wiggle it around, I think you have the wrong balljoint. If it's the correct one it should already be stuck in the tapered hole.
I've installed the upper ball joint how I remembered it to go and the bottom ball joint rotates w the spindle but the top remains stationary and the spindle rotates around it-this is not correct right? What have I done wrong to bind up the shaft?
Last edited by crandallf150; Aug 14, 2016 at 01:58 PM.
Reason: better description
I think you may have the incorrect ball joints like Franklin stated. You are correct in assuming that the screwdriver slot is there to stop the BJ from turning while the castle nut is tightened. If they were correct, they would have "seated" while allowing the cotter key hole to be aligned with the castle nut when tightened.
Looks like you have the caster adjustment sleeve, incorrect.
Do you have the caster adjuster on the top ball joint? and installed from the top of the arm/tube? (mine is a 4x4)
using a floor jack, lift the truck on the ball joint it's self, now it will not spin.
Not sure if you agree with me or ????
By the way what is that aluminum-colored disk under your coil?
I am in agreement....and that, ummm (now gone) aluminum disc at the base of the coil spring in the spring seat was the previous owner's attempt at lifting the front end which proved to be...well...ignorant, to say the very least given the problems that they caused to the geometry of the front end.
MY caster adjust is located under the arm at the upper joint,also does the adjusters have a left and a right? the passenger side must be shimmed with washers to get the castle nut down to the cotter pin and the drivers side upper joint/adjuster will not tighten the spindle flush with the joint,it lackes about a quarter inch and when tightend the spindle will not move,the adjuster compresses on the BJ shaft....does the adjusters have L&R ?
MY caster adjust is located under the arm at the upper joint, also, do the adjusters have a left and a right? the passenger side must be shimmed with washers to get the castle nut down to the cotter pin and the drivers side upper joint/adjuster will not tighten the spindle flush with the joint, it lacks about a quarter inch and when tightened, the spindle will not move and the adjuster compresses on the BJ shaft....are the adjusters specific to left and right ?
That 1/4" space would be filled by the eccentrics/spacers used during an alignment to correct castor/camber issues. I did some searching and cannot find any info on whether they are specific to left or right. Going off of mine, they look to be universal. I do know that in the air-cooled VW world, some are L/R specific but that's about as useful here as well.....a VW. Maybe someone else can chime in with more ideas.
Yes I'm completely stumped as stated the passenger side has to be shim down to where the castle will reach the cotter pin hole the driver side lax about a quarter inch at the top of the spindle before reaching the upper you joint boot I've called O'Reillys and A shop and everyone says that the U joints are the same on both sides no change in size-so you're saying that quarter inch gap needs spacers put in place by the alignment shop the other ones did not have it that I took out and what about the passenger-side they're the same size as the one removed but the castle nut has to be shim down as if it was too long-it's the exact same length
You can't put any spacers or shims near the large part of the balljoint(the "ball" area). If you wanted to use any spacers, they would have to be washers to space the nut out so the castles are in the hole area.
Why in the picture below the alignment eccentric is very close to the spindle? In the bottom picture there is a space, the eccentric is not as far up in the hole.
which proved to be...well...ignorant, to say the very least given the problems that they caused to the geometry of the front end.
