Ok I have been reading in this thread but I have a couple questions

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...ng+kit+install

How hard is it to pop the upper ball joint back into place. I have never worked with ball joints before.

Having not worked on ball joints should I have a shop do it or try it myself?

I put my pullies and AF1 on this truck myself and have done 2 long tube header installs on my corvettes and various other regular maintenance things.

Thanks for any help.

 

the upper control arm is easy to put back into the knuckle. Just use a 4' pry bar and pull the control arm joint back down into the knuckle... if you don't have a pry bar that bends and causes you to curse at the fact that you don't have my tools available... get a jack and lower the vehicle down onto the jack (with the jack being under the lower control arm) and let the weight of the vehicle help you put the upper control arm back in place.

 

Thank you one more question. Is the pin that connects the ball joint to the upper controll arm notched? If not how do you keep it from spinning when you are tightening the nut back on?

 

I used a ratchet strap to put the upper ball joint and the upper control arm back together.

Simply hook one side of the strap to one side of the upper control arm and the other side of the ratchet strap to the other side of the upper control arm and ratchet the mechanism. This way you can guide the ball joint into the upper control arm with your free hand while you incrementally close the gap. This will also allow the strap will hold the assembly together while you get the castle nut started.

 

X2. That got me started, then had to push down real hard to keep the joint from spinning. IMO this was the hardest part of the whole job. Just use patience and it's not too tough.

 

Would a spring compressor make it so you don't have to detach the upper controll arm from the ball joint?

 

Using a spring compressor in there is most likely more work than just popping the ball joint. Plus once you compress the spring you still have the shock to worry about.

 

I see so one more question is it the pressure that stops the joint from spinnint or is there some kind of notch so that once it is in the upper controll arm it won't spin?

 

You can use a 10mm wrench to hold the tapered spindle from spinning. The bottom of the spindle is hex shaped.

Aaron

 

There is no notch to hold the ball joint from spinning. I used jackstands to hold the truck up, then put the jack under the LCA and raised it up until the weight of the truck pushed the two together. Really easy, I think you might be making it harder than it really is.

 

To directly answer your question, it is a tapered fit. The hole and the stud are both tapered. The stud never actually bottoms out, but forms a tigth fit on the taper. Until you get some pressure on it, it could spin as you try to tighten.

 

Thanks I will be starting my install in about 30 minutes. I had to wait till today because I needed to find a 30 mm socket.

 

I tried using a floor jack but all it did was lift the entire truck off the jack stands. Then I noticed the pin had a hex shaped section on it. Good luck.

 

30mm deep well