Lower ball joint size - SOLVED

[ajduarte310]

I have a 1999 Chevy Tahoe Z71 and I have been having trouble finding the right lower ball joint. I’ve been to multiple stores and bought different ball joints and none of them fit right. Did anybody else have this problem? I cleaned up the old ball joint and tried to find a part number but this is all I found

 

[Fless]

Assuming 4wd, are the control arms forged or welded?

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon

Like @Fless said, that is what usually gets the confusion ball rolling. PITA for sure.

 

[east302]

Here are some pictures of the two types of control arms…

Forged or Welded Lower Ball Joints

Hey guys, I have a 1998 2dr 4x4 chevy tahoe. I'm looking to order new lower ball joints for my truck. How can I tell if I need to order forged or welded lower ball joints? What's the difference? Is one stronger or heavier duty than the other?

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[ajduarte310]

Assuming 4wd, are the control arms forged or welded?

View attachment 437989
View attachment 437990

I don’t know exactly what kind of lower control arm I have

 

[OR VietVet]

I don’t know exactly what kind of lower control arm I have

Looks welded but the diameter of either one is different and you can measure that open hole to verify fit.

 

[Fless]

Agree with @OR VietVet like it would be the welded/stamped version; see if the experts agree. Do you have a caliper to measure the diameter of the hole?

 

[ajduarte310]

Agree with @OR VietVet like it would be the welded/stamped version; see if the experts agree. Do you have a caliper to measure the diameter of the hole?

No I don’t, where can I get one

 

[Fless]

Harbor Freight, for one, if you have one anywhere nearby.

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/measuring-marking/calipers-micrometer/calipers.html

 

[OR VietVet]

The 1.885 in. would be just under 2" diameter.

The 1.816 in. would be just over 1 3/4" diameter.

The differences should be big enough to make a pick.

 

[OR VietVet]

The difference is just over 1/16".

Clean the hole real good and sight it. I would think it would be obvious.

 

[OR VietVet]

Hell, get one of each and see which one drops in the hole. If it does, the other one is the right pick.

 

[east302]

I’d agree, they look like stamped/welded which is what my 98 had. Moog K6477 fit in it.

 

[ajduarte310]

I’d agree, they look like stamped/welded which is what my 98 had. Moog K6477 fit in it.

View attachment 438150
View attachment 438151

Yeah I ended up getting that one and it fit! Thank you guys I appreciate it

 

[West 1]

Separate from the measurements the aftermarket Ball Joints, Moog are always sized slightly larger than the factory ball joint to make sure they stay tight after install. I have not looked it up in a while but they are oversized. A factory ball joint would be loose in the hole if a Moog was used before this. I believe Spicer Joints follow the same practice as Moog. I don't know what the Imports from overseas do for size. If you buy Moog or Spicer ball joint they offer both the quality made product using factory type quality parts and they offer a Chinese copy low priced product. Most parts store countermen do not share the quality differences. They ask if you want the one for $35 or the other brand for $65 but do not tell you the differences. The premium Moog part was tested to last 5 times longer than the import part so the difference is huge in quality. Moog used to put an R in the part number if it was an economy part. Example, the premium part would be a number like K6401, the cheap part was an RK6401 both are sold as Moog Brand, one is good, the other is a cheap imported copy.