A frame Ball joint

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adyw

adyw

Member
Posts
54
Location
plymouth
Gents,

do i need any special tools or support to change my A frame upper ball joint, it looks fairly simple, but I'll be doing it on the driveway just laid under the car, So do I need to support anything, before something drops on my head. ( 1986 defender 90)
1712864248003.png
 
nope, just make sure you get a lemforder one....change the bushes in the arms, its a PIA of a job but sorted with normal tools, bloody knckles and a bit of swearing, see my project build thread for how i did it...

www.landyzone.co.uk

TD5 90 Project

I bought this as a fixer upper. got it in 2011. It was very tatty, rusted winch on front white powder n silver chq plate sides and happy shopper side bar steps things made of rust and black bubble paint! Its Epsom Green had I found some white wolf wheels (and put 7.5 ZXL Mich) which match the...
www.landyzone.co.uk www.landyzone.co.uk

approx page 21 to 30 or so if you cant be assed to read it all lol
 
From what I recall:

Start with the penetrating fluid. You will need to remove the bracket that fits between the two arms and you may find the bolts siezed actually into the ball joint bracket, not just siezed nuts. I used a long breaker bar to move these and you are likely to need to knock them through to remove, so expect to have to replace them.

I couldn't get a socket on my joint nut and needed a decent ring spanner and lump hammer to undo the nut. I didn't fully remove the nut on mine before trying to knock it loose (I used a piece of 25mm round bar as a drift) but ended up damaging the thread which then bound on the nut which in turn started the joint spinning so stopped me being able to undo the bolt fully - I had to re tighten and sort the damaged thread before undoing it again.

I actually replaced just the ball joint on mine so needed a decent 30 tonne press. You need to cut off the "wings" of the ball joint to allow you to support the bracket when you push the joint out.

When refitting the new joint you need to align the holes and keep them in line before pressing it in - worthy of a search for a more detailed description of doing this.
 
Doing on the ground. Chock your front wheels to prevent vehicle movement. Once the A joint is removed the rear axle can move a bit, not only back and fore, the body can now also move side to side some. Useful when lining joint with axle on refitting. The springs and trailing arms keep axle mor or less in place. However when fighting to remove joint from arms or arms from chassis I have the rear chassis supported. If renewing arm bushes remove the whole thing and change axle joint off the truck. Good luck and take care.
 
Dr Strangeglove said:
I actually replaced just the ball joint on mine so needed a decent 30 tonne press. You need to cut off the "wings" of the ball joint to allow you to support the bracket when you push the joint out.
Click to expand...
I have done a couple of them by beating them out with a large hammer but it is hard work. to refit you then just use some long high tensile bolts to pull it all back into place and then beat with a large hammer again. With the easy availability and price of the complete unit op has posted above I don't think I will be bothering in the future when it is due for changing again.
 
When I did mine, I too discovered that a socket wouldn't go on the nut. However, if you jack the chassis up and let the axle drop it's possible to get a ring spanner on it. I think the axles vary a bit in terms of exactly where the fitting for the centre ball joint is welded on. It can be a lot easier to take the arms off the chassis - there's three 10mm bolts each side holding the brackets onto a crossmember. (Some models have welded on brackets but they're in a minority). Once you've got he whole lot out it becomes a lot easier to work on, for example to get the bushes out of the chassis ends of the arms, and get the bolts out that hold the bracket to the axle end. The ball joint is often very reluctant to come out of the bracket. I put over 25 tonnes on mine with a press. This bent the bracket, so it wouldn't have been any use, even if the ball joint had come out, It's easier just to buy the whole thing.
 
Hi all, on a related subject, I removed the ball joint bracket from the axle and as I cannot find it I assume that I scrapped it along with the ball joint. I now find that this part is obsolete and therefore no longer available. Other than finding a second hand oneb at a scrapyard/breakers, does anyone know of another source?
 
Mine was so seized in place I had to use a trolley jack pushing a crobar to dislodge the a frame from the axle.

Bolts on the arm to the A frame would not come undone even with heat + 1500nm buzz gun. So grinder. Get new bolts

The 3 into the chassis all sheared. New bolts.

My first a frame the bolts would not come out of the frame. Heads sheard off, then nuts leaving the body of the bolt seized inside the frame. Sledge hammer and a punch.

So be prepared.

When i did it again i bought a second hand a frame, rebuilt it on the bench and swapped them over.
 
viking210 said:
Hi all, on a related subject, I removed the ball joint bracket from the axle and as I cannot find it I assume that I scrapped it along with the ball joint. I now find that this part is obsolete and therefore no longer available. Other than finding a second hand oneb at a scrapyard/breakers, does anyone know of another source?
Click to expand...
Buy a new complete one. Easier than pressing the old joint out.
 
v8250 said:
@KISSMYAURA , are you saying you don't like Terrafookwits? ;)
Click to expand...
www.landyzone.co.uk

Recommend me a steering damper

As I am now back driving the 110 after driving the td5 90 I am noticing things that I have not noticed before. Although I have fitted a replacement steering damper to the 110 at some point in the past I cannot remember how long ago that was (certainly wasn't part of the rebuild). The 90 has a...
www.landyzone.co.uk www.landyzone.co.uk

see the link above of when i went to meet with them......you decide lol
 
v8250 said:
@adyw , you may like to buy an A frame ball joint that has a built in grease nipple. Again, Gwyn Lewis has them readily available.
Click to expand...
you used to be able to get adjustable ones as well, so when you get play in it you can just knock the rear cup around and it screws in removing the slack. I had one fitted for a while, not sure if I replace with the same was a while ago now. but it meant when you started to get play you tightened it all up, filled it with grease and you were good for another 12 months or so.
 
dag019 said:
you used to be able to get adjustable ones as well, so when you get play in it you can just knock the rear cup around and it screws in removing the slack. I had one fitted for a while, not sure if I replace with the same was a while ago now. but it meant when you started to get play you tightened it all up, filled it with grease and you were good for another 12 months or so.
Click to expand...
not for a TD5 90 you got no chance of getting to a nipple! hard enough to get to the castle nut, you really need to modify a socket etc 110's are a doddle to do in comparision. Fingers crossed my HD Lenforder will last a while.
 
Last edited:
evening all. how can you tell when this is knackered? i get lots of bangs from the rear end and some clunks when pulling away, i suspect its the A frame but when i get underneath everything seems tight with no play? should i check with the weight of the axle??
 
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