UCA ball joint threads not tightening

[AmadeusCharger500]

I'm just at the point of reconnecting all my front end parts on a total rebuild. I tightened the Left upper Ball Joint which is threaded. It seemed to be going fine till I actually tried to torque it then it just loosens. Probably the threads on the control arm since the Ball joint is new and threads look good. Is there any way to ficks this without throwing away the UCA. It has already  been beadblasted painted and bushings installed.

H

[tan top]

 sorry to say no !! well not that i know of ! the FSM is very specific !!    of a minimum of 125 foot pounds from memory & if you cant achieve this , you need to replace the control arm 

[FLG]

You have 3 routes.

1) they make a special oversized ball joint you can press in

2) change upper control arm (might as well go with firm feels tubular unless your looking for that stock look, I'm almost certain they sell repos on ebay)

3) (what I did to hold me over) get it as tight as you can and just tack weld it in

[bull]

You've seen my thread so you already know I bought a used UCA, and if I had to do it over again I'd do the same. There's something I don't like about the tack weld idea. Not sure if I can put my finger on it for sure but I think it has to do with my aversion to band-aid fixes. Had I welded mine I would always be thinking about the welds and hoping they were holding. The thing about threads is you're not relying on the strength of a few tack welds to keep the front wheel attached properly. When it's done right you've got the full surface of the threads mated and tightened to the proper torque and all that surface area is working in your favor to hold the ball joint in place. I can't think of too many other places on the car that take much more of a pounding than the steering/suspension.

Just my but I'd either go the route I went or pick up a pair of new OE-style UCAs off Ebay or from one of the vendors.

[AmadeusCharger500]

Okay Im convinced about not tackwelding it. However I am also very much in favor of working with the parts I have instead of investing another few hundred in a simple suspension part, new bushing kit alone for that is $76 on just suspension. Im still trying to gather the 600 bucks I need for the torsion bars and steering box. I just got off the phone with just suspension and they told me they would not be able to get an oversized ball joint. Any thoughts on how to track down such a thing.

Another thought. My dad and I were talking about it and he brought up somethin I guess they used to use in his garage. Soft Lead filler!? Anyone ever heard of this? He explained it would be like a soft metal apply that would mash down solid as the ball joint was tightened.

[magnumdart]

I have heard of people torquing these in and then tacking them also.  If you are going to be doing wheel stands, this is an option.

[bull]

I have heard of people torquing these in and then tacking them also.  If you are going to be doing wheel stands, this is an option.

Both is ok but I wouldn't tack weld in lieu of torquing.

Regarding new arms, there are guys who really hate the idea of using some of the replacement arms out there but if you're on a budget you can get them pretty reasonable with ball joints and bushings in place.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOPAR-68-69-70-Dodge-Charger-Upper-Control-Arms-PAIR-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5adc4b03d3QQitemZ390242960339QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mopar-66-67-68-69-70-Charger-Upper-Control-Arms-NEW-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27b53724c9QQitemZ170544014537QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[AmadeusCharger500]

Unfortunately the control arms for a 73 are kinda not available used. I ended up tacking it but this is like shooting myself in the foot if you read my new post.

[bull]

Unfortunately the control arms for a 73 are kinda not available used. I ended up tacking it but this is like shooting myself in the foot if you read my new post.

Are the 73 arms different? If not you can get them new.

[AmadeusCharger500]

Firm feel has them new $400 ....vs $10 bucks to tack one side Therein lies my error....Why is it always the right choice to spend crap Loads Of money!

[bull]

Firm feel has them new $400 ....vs $10 bucks to tack one side Therein lies my error....Why is it always the right choice to spend crap Loads Of money!

Do you have any pics of your UCAs? I'd like to have a look at them.

[FLG]

Bull,

Check ebay I remember some fool selling used ones for a crazy price. There different than earlier years but the same as the later cordobas for example, if memory serves correct.

[bull]

Chances are Firm Feel has some good used ones. I went out back behind their shop a while back to find myself a good one for my 68 and I saw several different styles. You might call them and ask about it.