Ball joint failure facts

[Sapientoni]

The original aluminum ball joints usually wear a hole down thru the aluminum, much like it has just been spinning and drilling straight down. It will only show a little bit of wheel slop when you jack it up to check wheel bearings. The early design had the spring pushing down on the joint. My sudden failure happened as I backed the car out of the garage and turned the wheel. Luckily not at the d.e. event a month earlier where I failed tech with everyone thinking the wheel bearings were too loose. I got steel replacements from a box store that arrived with factory p/n's cast into them, made in France and extremely reasonably priced at that time.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by Sapientoni

...Luckily not at the d.e. event a month earlier where I failed tech with everyone thinking the wheel bearings were too loose. I got steel replacements from a box store that arrived with factory p/n's cast into them, made in France and extremely reasonably priced at that time.

Oh man, this is good to know as my Euro has a symptom of bad or loose bearing at the right front. I went a couple years ago to the local Autocross that the PCA was holding and I let them tech check my car to see what i would need to fix to AX, and that was it. I guess I better break out the magnet.

[Plexus928]

This could help.
the caster /camber position "swaps"places on the new steel type

BUT.....You only need to buy 2 new camber eccentrics,

the caster eccentic (The one with the bigger hat) on the alloy type just swaps from being on the inner to the outer on the steel later type (even though the visible "hat" is a different shape to the new type,it has the same eliptical adjuster shape, don't throw away )
The camber adjuster, which will definately need new/totally different eccentric's moves to the inner position

[Plexus928]

Earlier type mounting bracket does not need replacement either .

[Sapientoni]

On my '81, I think I just made some washers or put different bolts in, I didn't buy the $49.95 accessory bolts.