Did some one say "what's a ball joint flip"

[SkyHighColorado]

I just read this and learned my upper ball joints are in the "flipped" position. I will be switching back to stock because this might be why I can't get it aligned properly. I suffer from positive camber pretty bad.

 

[oohunter04oo]

I just read this and learned my upper ball joints are in the "flipped" position. I will be switching back to stock because this might be why I can't get it aligned properly. I suffer from positive camber pretty bad.

That would definitely be your problem!

 

[SkyHighColorado]

I can't believe its taken me this long to figure it out! Since the po installed them like that I thought it was stock.

 

[oohunter04oo]

I can't believe its taken me this long to figure it out! Since the po installed them like that I thought it was stock.

They may have had it cranked higher than it is now

 

[98slv]

Yup, true.

And at the same time, not really.

The lower arm carries the vehicle weight load out to the knuckle, which loads the unitized bearing which carriers it out to the wheel. The weight of the vehicle tries to rotate the lower arm and the torsion bar carries that load back to the torsion bar cross member. The load is them carried to the straightest section of the frame.

Now, out at the steering knuckle, the weight load also tries to tip the top of the knuckle in towards the frame with the weight of the vehicle behind it. Any road loading (IE: bumps, etc) also try to tilt the top of the knuckle in. It might be easier if you try to picture it as negative camber.

At the top of the knuckle is the upper ball joint. This resists the knuckle tilting in (IE: negative camber) and transfers the load to the upper A arm. The A arm is in compression so it can be very light. Metal (actually, pretty much any material) is strongest in compression, that's why the uppers look "spindly". The frame has to resist being "pinched" together at the upper a arm mounts.

So the uppers don't carry all of the vehicle weight, but they do carry a component of it.

Flipping the ball joint effectively lengthens the steering knuckle. It also puts the balls joint bolts in more of a shearing load as the force is actually a side load. Normally not enough to shear them, but it is an increase from oe specs. It also changes the load path on the a arm as instead of the ball joint being inside the a arm it is underneath it. I have never heard of a failure because of it, but you are changing the load paths.

X2. This is why I don't see many adverse effects of flipping them. They do not carry the vehicle weight, and on a truck that is cranked or lifted there are many many more safety hazards to take into account than flipping a ball joint. Thats my 2 cents....


replacing/flipping mine in the next couple weeks.

 

[Crash]

X2. This is why I don't see many adverse effects of flipping them. They do not carry the vehicle weight, and on a truck that is cranked or lifted there are many many more safety hazards to take into account than flipping a ball joint. Thats my 2 cents....


replacing/flipping mine in the next couple weeks.

I've had no problems.

 

[98slv]

Bought mine today, they are master pro (cheap ones at napa.) The high dollar ones had grade 5 hardware and these cheaper ones have 10.9 hardware. Went with the cheap ones for the better bolts....

 

[thered95]

you know grade 8 and 10.9 are different rating systems right?

 

[98_k1500]

I wonder how this would work on a aftermarket uca? My alignment is perfect so i have no reason to do this but you could probably get some pretty insane cv angles if you went any higher than i am now. My truck has 2 inch blocks on the rear and the front fenderwells are 2" taller than the back as it sits. Front center ground clearance would be insane tho. I can already clear a 5 gallon bucket until it hits the rear axle.

 

[98slv]

you know grade 8 and 10.9 are different rating systems right?

Yes I know, 10.9 is harder than a grade 8 and much harder than the grade 5s that came with the more expensive joints.


I got them done, just need to post some pictures.