The Dynatrac are awesome balljoints

but they have an awesome price that goes along with them.

Dynatrac and Carli are the go to names for ball joints when you're tired of swapping out ball joints twice a year on your Dodge RAM

 

Bently: I do have the grease zerk but unable to use. Why is that you ask? Well for some reason the unit bearings that I replaced the old ones with (almost certain that they are Timken) shortly after my ownership came with the ABS already installed. At the time I did not do anything with the bolt holding the mag pickup in place and now when I go to remove to install grease zerk, they do not want to come out. Not sure why. I can also not find a good allen to fit (metric or standard).....either slightly to small or slightly to big. Weird but true. I did already buy a larger torque wrench when I replaced the springs so I will probably buy the seal removal/installer tool and rent the ball joint removal/installer tool. Thank you in the confidence in the install seeing how both work and personal projects leaves me confident in my capabilities (not as much as others I am sure but I have done ball joints before with no power tools so I will be good once again).

2003: Thank you for the vids. always nice to watch others vids before taking on a project to familiarized myself with the details.

Misky: I will look into this since I am planning on getting an alignment once done. I have read the threads about adding caster/camber (can't remembering exactly which it is at this moment but I remember 5*.....I have a bad case of CRS).


I was already looking at the XRF before I started this thread, I have read good things about them, and it seems from this thread that others have had good results so I will probably go with them. Plus if I want to do the tie rod ends or other components they also supply those as well. I just wasn't sure if anybody has heard of or used the "Rare parts" brands of ball joints.


Thanks for all of the input and apologize for my delayed response.

 

MK- I was going to suggest greasing the unit bearing's while everything is apart, sounds like you have that part covered. My allen is 5mm, I kept a extra bolt with my zerk fitting and just checked. I would bet your sensor is probably frozen and started to fall apart seen a picture of it before. I would leave it alone unless prepared to repair/replace it and no point if it is functioning. You may or may not know this but I too am an MK in the USCG, helped USCG_PA a couple times with his Excursion.

 

Bently- not sure how but I knew that you were, or still are, a MK. I spoke on the side a lot with PA about various items. Never could figure out your name to hit you up on communicator. Maybe our paths will cross one day (had a good chance this transfer season since 2 of the 9 jobs available to me were in Seattle but have already been taken).

About the ABS sensor bolt, since the bearing assy is new and still operating fine, I have held off on attempting to take out the bolt. I have broken enough bolts off in my days and don't need that on my plate right now. But since I will be doing the ball joint I may just attempt to play with it while the assy is off. I will see what mood I am in but knowing myself, I probably will not be able to resist the urge to fix it while there. I will make sure that I have a few cold ones on standby when I get to that project.

 

So just thought that I would add some info about ball joints. I mentioned "Rare part" ball joints. They are out of Stockton, CA. Spoke to a tech rep today. They currently don't make anything for Ford Dana 60 but he said that they had a lot of requests at SEMA this year so that is an upcoming project for them (design ball joints and upgraded steering components).....they already have the axle at their shop. So that would make sense why nobody here had any reviews for them.

On a side note, what about Mevotech TTX ball joints? Just weighing all options. Have a good idea of what I want but trying to gather as much info as possible since I want to do it right the first time and still be happy with my decision 20K miles down the road (but is that possible for a gearhead?!).

 

I use mevotech on my explorer and like them. They are high quality. I've used a lot of their parts from ball joints to tie rod end to control arms. They all are high quality.

 

Why not just go with a sure thing and use OEM? I've had 2 excursions and went well over 154k on my first one without replacing. After replacement I sold the Ex with 238k and they were still tight. My second ex was sold with about 160k miles on original with zero issues. Just saying

 

LivingLarge: I hear ya loud and clear and normally that is my attitude. But I do know that if a manufacturer can get away with using a part that might be "acceptable" but not have the longevity/reliability of a part that costs maybe a few cents more, they will go with the cheaper because that few cents adds up over the long run of the production. That being said, I know that there are some other "aftermarket" parts that cost the same or slightly more than OEM but offer better longevity/reliability/performance.

Let's just say that I view all parts on the truck the same......meaning if I am willing to "upgrade" the transmission, turbo, brakes, injectors, etc why not the ball joints or steering linkage? I see the vehicle as a whole with many components and if you upgrade/change something then you are creating a weak point somewhere else. I am always look for OEM or better as long as I can afford it. A strong motor or big wheels do no good if the components that keep them in place are not up to the task.

Wow I was really long winded there. Sorry. . I guess I just get diarrhea of the mouth on here since my family does not want to listen to me. Maybe I should just go to bed.

 

Changing Ball joints isn't like changing a filter or swaybar end links. It's a major project, so doing it again, isn't really on my todo list.

 

word. that's why i went with the dynatrac.

 

OEM made it to 181K.

Moog made it to 248K (67K).

Currently have XRF (51K and counting). Haven't had any problems with them so far. Install went well and they felt great from the get go (the Moogs were a bit tight to start with). They have a 1M mile warranty so I'm covered for awhile.

For the seal driver I used posts #13 and #14 of this thread to make mine for less than $20:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ll-joints.html

Or you can buy one from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/OTC-6695-Shaf.../dp/B0015PKC5W

If you have ESOF and want it to work you've got to get that seal on straight (without damaging it) and bottomed out otherwise it won't make a good seal then you'll be posting that your ventilation goes to defrost when you go to 4HI and your hubs don't lock.


My seal tool looks like this (photos courtesy of Google Images):