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Upper control Arm problem

Robert Schaad

Robert Schaad

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My 72 Plymouth RR clone has original upper ball joints and control bushings. I started to replace just the right side first and it kicked my %^%$. The upper ball joint beat me. I decided to replace the complete upper control arms, that way new bushings and ball joints. Got a complete pair thru Walmart. Good price. Replaced both sides, so easy. 6 months later I can not get car aligned. Also bad noises everytime I put it in gear both forward and backward.
Shorten the story, the NEW control arms failed. The upper bushings came loose. They were not pressed in, they had a Chisel mark in two places. Another pair of front tires bad. I am trying to find out where they came from to alert everyone but can not find paperwork now. Just information for now. It seems so many items today are crap. Badly produced. If you purchase a set, check them out and have a tack weld put on them if they do not look right. Just trying to help my B Body brothers.
 
I'm sorry you're having problems but this is why you should buy quality parts from a known manufacturer and supplier. The good price that you got from Walmart doesn't mean much when you have to do the job over. I've been in the auto parts business for fifteen years and unfortunately see this way too often. If the part is being sold for half the price of a name brand like Moog there's a reason.
 
Don't believe Moog makes that UCA. Walmart probably sells the same China crap ones as on E-bay or from Classic and Y-1. I've heard nothing but bad about the factory style reproductions.
 
For the future, my lessons learned on the upper ball joints are to be sure to break them loose while still bolted to the car. My first one I had about a 2 ft pipe extension on my big 1/2 breaker bar and almost pulled the car off the jack stands before it came loose. The other one I decided screw this, I cranked up my air compressor to full pressure and put my impact on the socket and the ball joint surrendered immediately.
 
moparmarks said:
Don't believe Moog makes that UCA. Walmart probably sells the same China crap ones as on E-bay or from Classic and Y-1. I've heard nothing but bad about the factory style reproductions.
Click to expand...
This - Many places selling these

Same ones I run on my 71 Bee - About five years now

I sent two pairs back before I got a set I was happy with
Ball joints where not screwed/threaded in properly on the reproduction arms

I was actually happy with the bushings - Ball joints not

Going to rebuild the factory arms this summer
 
consider tubular arms from PST... do not get Heim-joint arms, though whatever you do
 
I put in tubular Firmfeel UCA's, they come with Moog balljoints... very nice quality part, well made.
 
Bushings came loose or the ball joint popped out? During my Bee restoration I showed that the reproduction UCA's came with bushings so undersized that I popped them out with my fingers and then pressed in good new ones to replace them. Ball joint was nicely installed, but I swapped it out as well with another new one from my PST kit.
 
I'm sorry, but I laughed when you said that you bought parts at Walmart!
 
dadsbee said:
Agreed, but their online platform sells for anyone just like Amazon.
Click to expand...
I respect you Dad, I really do and you are correct but still, think about it. Why not just go direct to the manufacturer of a quality part?
 
t.flatt said:
I'm sorry, but I laughed when you said that you bought parts at Walmart!
Click to expand...
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp1MglvO7YdazyXrL8fMkS4Ax1he1_MvjZQg&usqp=CAU.jpg
"Hey, what aisle can I find control arms ? "
 
Runner 68 said:
I respect you Dad, I really do and you are correct but still, think about it. Why not just go direct to the manufacturer of a quality part?
Click to expand...
We do

The one big boat coming out of China
 
Bee1971 said:
We do

The one big boat coming out of China
Click to expand...
Yep, not sure why Runner targeted that at me. I was just pointing out that Walmart online, Amazon, Ebay, Classics, Year One, Megaparts or whom ever else sells the UCA assembly all come from the same place and as I pointed out in my restoration thread the bushings were junk and I pushed them out with my fingers and pressed in new ones, also swapped the ball joint out. OP still hasn't bothered to tell us if his bushings let loose or his ball joint popped out of the socket.
 
dadsbee said:
Yep, not sure why Runner targeted that at me. I was just pointing out that Walmart online, Amazon, Ebay, Classics, Year One, Megaparts or whom ever else sells the UCA assembly all come from the same place and as I pointed out in my restoration thread the bushings were junk and I pushed them out with my fingers and pressed in new ones, also swapped the ball joint out. OP still hasn't bothered to tell us if his bushings let loose or his ball joint popped out of the socket.
Click to expand...
Wasn't targeting anyone. The point was that typically what you see on Amazon and Walmart websites is for sure Chinese junk. There are domestic companies that make the same part but better. Why not go directly to them?
 
A bought lot of stuff through Walmart, they're just like any other company say Amazon eBay whatever you just need to do your research and see where they're actually coming from. sometimes you get a Better Price through Walmart then you can through anyone else for the same product. you just got to make sure it's the same product
Buyer beware....
 
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