Amazon: Upper Ball Joints: Type/Size issue

[Ron Kwas]

GUS;

I have to agree with Kay, about possibly bent Upper Control Arm (...bottom surface of it should be in one plane)...although that picture is not straight-on, which could add some perspective error, there does seem to be an angle:

..this results in Upper Ball Joint pointing a bit to the rear, but thankfully, because it is a ball joint, this is not a huge issue...this will affect Alignment a bit (it might even be possible to align it out)...if I had an UCA which was lightly misformed like that, I'd replace it...OR... fixture it up on a 20T Press, and bring it back to nominal shape, and inspect for cracks with fluorescent penetrant before installation, just to be sure no cracks developed from bending operation...

I don't see any issue with Anti-Roll-Bar...again, perhaps whatever Russ is seeing, is introduced by camera-angle...

Good Hunting!

[gothamus]

Thanks, of course. Hate to get a response from anyone and not answer back for a week. Work and, you know, the car. The Car, which is addictive and absorbs every evening and weekend I can claim for myself. I was thinking the other day, it should be in much better shape for all the time I have spent! Ha! It's all good as long as it's fun and when its not, I will forget about that part when I edit memories.

The picture is not straight on, Ron. Good notice. But the angle sitting right in from of it does not look much different. I have not noticed anything that indicates this is a problem- such is uneven wear on the tires, steering leaning to any side. The angle starts toward around the outer half and the inner part affixed to the vehicle is even. I have about 4000 miles on her in a year and a half and should have noticed something by now.

My only insecurity about the roll bar would be tightness. I had initially over tightened it, squeezing the bushings more. I came across something that pointed out my error and tightened to match the images I found on the web. Included is a picture from a different angle, with the car on the ground. Ten pictures and this is the best I got to show the bar. My paint is not so bright as it appears in this image. All of a sudden it looks like a carnival under there. I did that mainly so I could observe the kind of mess, be it oil or hydraulic fluids.

If anything stands out, let me know. I might have a few posts coming up, depending on whether I can find the answers in previous posts. I try not to add too much amateur traffic in the forum. Thanks again for the help! Much appreciated.