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are the OE front upper ball joints strictly pressed in?
do I just press them out after I separate the knuckle from the upper arm?
I'm about to install some adjustable SPC front upper ball joints in my 07 250.
I was wondering if there are any retaining clips or snap ring to be removed prior to pressing out the OE ball joints.
Sure I can look for myself but I want to grab/rent the right tools before I get down and dirty.
thanks in advance folks!
to answer my question, the front upper ball joints are NOT strictly pressed in.
there is a retaining clip/snap ring under the boot which needs to be removed before pressing out the ball joint.
I used a bj press rented from autozone to remove the stock bjs and install the SPC units, a quick and simple sunday afternoon project!
Yeah, my friend and I found the answer to this question the hard way. He helped me with the pressing out of the ball joint with his 10 ton press. The C-clip shot out as the ball joint came out. Almost hit me! LOL! I told him I had no idea there was a clip in there!
You should shave off the outer metal on the arm so you could correct the camper.
I did this mod like 10 years ago using the 1IS SPCjoints. I used some pipe joints that were same diameter as the OEM ball joint and hammered it out. The 1IS SPC ***** require that you shave the control arm. I think they 2IS versions may have a thicker spacing to eliminate the shaving?
Mine came with the old red boots which finally broke on me recently. I ordered the wrong replacement boot kit (only one you can find online for like $18) they were too big and are the boot kit for control arms. I called SPC directly and they sold me the correct boots for like $12 shipped. They call them the "Honda" boots since its the same boot kit that all the Honda Camber kits use.
I did the OEM replacement on the AWD upper one recently. Using the Moog ball joint it came with the OEM style c clip. I couldn't get it back in at all. So I ordered some from McMaster Carr. Those didn't work out well either.
Yeah, my friend and I found the answer to this question the hard way. He helped me with the pressing out of the ball joint with his 10 ton press. The C-clip shot out as the ball joint came out. Almost hit me! LOL! I told him I had no idea there was a clip in there!
yikes, eye protection is your friend! glad you didn't ruin the a-arm inadvertently and you were safe.
Originally Posted by whitebeast
You should shave off the outer metal on the arm so you could correct the camper.
yeah I see the instruction said to shave the outer metal on the arm to I can correct the camber further, but I'm actually ok with where it is now. I have yet to do an alignment but I am not slammed (using H&R springs only).
Originally Posted by sinister2c
I did this mod like 10 years ago using the 1IS SPCjoints. I used some pipe joints that were same diameter as the OEM ball joint and hammered it out. The 1IS SPC ***** require that you shave the control arm. I think they 2IS versions may have a thicker spacing to eliminate the shaving?
Mine came with the old red boots which finally broke on me recently. I ordered the wrong replacement boot kit (only one you can find online for like $18) they were too big and are the boot kit for control arms. I called SPC directly and they sold me the correct boots for like $12 shipped. They call them the "Honda" boots since its the same boot kit that all the Honda Camber kits use.
you still need to shave if you want to correct more camber, it's in the instruction but I opted not to. I learned all my ball joint experiences on Hondas so this was similar. I used a mini-sledge hammer to slam out the bjs where Honda did not have c-clips. I was replacing boots back in the day too (when I didn't know how to remove them properly = pickle fork is NOT the business).
Originally Posted by MikeFig82
I did the OEM replacement on the AWD upper one recently. Using the Moog ball joint it came with the OEM style c clip. I couldn't get it back in at all. So I ordered some from McMaster Carr. Those didn't work out well either.
what I found interesting is that I bought Moog ball joints but the part is by SPC! same company perhaps?
check this out (Moog K500240 but it is stamped SPC)!
SPC probably private labeled them. I know that back in my Honda days, I installed alot of camber bolts and kits from various brands, which were all just SPC products in different boxes.
SPC probably private labeled them. I know that back in my Honda days, I installed alot of camber bolts and kits from various brands, which were all just SPC products in different boxes.
RockAuto has them under Moog for the 2IS. The description clearly shows the SPC logo on the pictured description.
to answer my question, the front upper ball joints are NOT strictly pressed in.
there is a retaining clip/snap ring under the boot which needs to be removed before pressing out the ball joint.
I used a bj press rented from autozone to remove the stock bjs and install the SPC units, a quick and simple sunday afternoon project!
The SPC doesn't need the retaining ring? Is it just press fitted?
there is a lower piece that does need to be pressed into the underside of the a-arm, plus there is a top piece that sandwiches the a-arm to the lower piece.
it is all held together by the upper nut which when loosened allows the bj to slide for adjustment.
instructions are included in each bj.
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Front Upper SPC Ball Joint Installation
