[ceh383]

I've got a Mustang II front end with tubular A frames. It uses small Chrysler style screw in ball joints. Is there a torque spec for these or do you just get them as tight as you can?

[powerrodsmike]

IIRC 120 Ft Pounds is the correct torque spec.
Several companies are just pressing them in now, ( Heidts and Fatman are 2 that I know for sure are doing it), so I'd just think it was ok to tighten them up as much as you can.


later, mikey.

[ceh383]

Hey, thanks for the reply. 120 sounds good to me. It's a TCI front end and they do screw in. I can't see why anyone would want to press in a screw in ball joint ....

[Bryan59EC]

I too believe 120 is the correct torque.

I did a couple of my old Chrysler products at this setting.

[powerrodsmike]

Originally Posted by ceh383

Hey, thanks for the reply. 120 sounds good to me. It's a TCI front end and they do screw in. I can't see why anyone would want to press in a screw in ball joint ....

It's way faster for the manufacturer...Try screwing in one of those ball joints into a new A arm that has not had the threads cut into it. The last set I did I actually made a thread cutter out of an old ball joint to start the threads.


Later, mikey

[ceh383]

Originally Posted by powerrodsmike

It's way faster for the manufacturer...
Later, mikey

So, they are taking the cheap way out rather than doing it the right way. So what happens when you need to replace ball joints, you replace the A-Frames as well because it's more than likely jacked up...My hat's off to TCI for taking the time to do it correctly.

[powerrodsmike]

Yeah try removing a ball joint that has been pressed in by turning it. We wasted a brand new A arm by trying to unscrew the ball joint, (so we could get it powder coated), it galled up the inside of the ball joint boss so bad that we couldn't screw the thing back in.

Later,
mikey