Installing grease fittings in stock ball joints

[STEVEBROOKS]

I've installed grease fittings on most of my stock front end parts locations. Has anybody installed grease fittings in the stock ball joints? If you have, how did the job turn out for you? Were there any problems doing it?



Steve

 

[Allnew2Me]

I did the same thing a while ago. My tie-rod ends were all shot and I didn't really want to replace them with the same thing so I fixed them. I removed the entire draglink/tierod mechanism and using a grinder I ground off the crimps on each of the four ends and knocked the studs out. Stock they use a small coil spring that went flat. I put it all back together after drilling and tapping a hole for the zerk fitting in the center of the round steel cap piece and used a 3/4" lock washer in place of the coil spring. I used the tie rod puller to compress this sandwich until it was just firm but not tight and welded the cap back on. The internal cup is nylon so I welded and doused with water a little at a time. So far it is tight and I can grease it now. It cost me nothing but time for my little experiment. It is still tight and the steering is wander free.

 

[rfull]

Boy i have to commet on that as i have done it for years on fords and dodges both not just to save a buck but to overcome bad design/parts.



works great but i used B&S valve springs cut down!

 

[FJfonda]

I did this on my '99 when I installed new ball joints. We chucked the new ball joints in the lathe and drilled holes in the center--- same location you would expect to see a zerk fitting. There is a plastic shield of some sort just below the cap so you need to drill through that as well. Drilling and tapping was easy --- cleaning the metal chips out from the drilling and tapping took forever.