Can you damage a ball joint by overtightening it? I can't fit my torque wrench on the upper ball joint, but I have a box end wrench that is about 15 in. long that i can pull with. I am trying to guess at 70 to 75 lb. ft. of torque. Basically, can I ruin a new ball joint by over tightening it?

 

No, just don't put a three foot breaker bar on it.

 

I torqued my ball joints to 100 lb., and then tightened them more with a breaker bar. The only thing you'd be concerned about is stressing the stud because all you're doing is pulling the stud up tight into socket, and 100 lb. seemed a bit wimpy to tell ya the truth.