94 GT Needs Ball Joints

DaveRog

5 Year Member

Nov 18, 2017

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Jun 11, 2018

#1

• Jun 11, 2018

• #1

Our 94 GT needs ball joints. With 109K I'm not sure if I should replace the control arms or just the ball joints. The car rides and drives just fine and I hate to tear apart the whole front end to replace all the bushings, spring isolators, sway bar links, etc. We average about 1,500 miles a year these days. Anyone care to weigh in on this?

 

jozsefsz

15 Year Member

Aug 11, 2013

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Cleveland OH Area

Jun 11, 2018

#2

• Jun 11, 2018

• #2

No real way to tell just based on mileage. If the control arm bushings look bad, or if the control arms are corroded, I'd change the arms.
If they look fine then it's your personal preference - whether you'd prefer to bolt up new arms or to press in new joints.

Either way your disassembly is going to be about the same so not sure what you'd save by just changing the ball joints. Cost-wise they're not that far apart either. Flip a coin maybe? I tend to replace arms myself as I don't have a press, and we get lots of rust in my part of the world.

 

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VibrantRedGT

"STANGNET'S PENGUIN SMACKER"

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

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Boca Raton, Florida

Jun 12, 2018

#3

• Jun 12, 2018

• #3

You're running on 24 year old stock bushings I'd say it's time to replace some things. Like mentioned your installation time is about the same.

A-arms don't go bad unless they've been in accident / bent or heavily corroded.

I'd get that kit with all the suspensions bushings and make a weekend of it. Recruit some friends, grab some beer, get a few creepers and go to town.

 

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DaveRog

5 Year Member

Nov 18, 2017

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Jun 13, 2018

#4

• Jun 13, 2018

• #4

What about the control arm bolts? Ford says they are "one time use only". To me that sounds like lawyer talk.

 

VibrantRedGT

"STANGNET'S PENGUIN SMACKER"

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

14,679

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Boca Raton, Florida

Jun 14, 2018

#5

• Jun 14, 2018

• #5

DaveRog said:

What about the control arm bolts? Ford says they are "one time use only". To me that sounds like lawyer talk.

Click to expand...

They have locktite on them, about it. You can clean the old goop off, use new goop, the stock bolts are fine. Well, that's if they are not bent or missing threads (your discretion).

I had to grind off a section of my A-Arm just to get it to fit on the QA1 tubular K-Member. That's even more extreme than reusing stock bolts, car was fine.

 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

Mod Dude

Feb 18, 2001

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Massachusetts

Jun 17, 2018

#6

• Jun 17, 2018

• #6

DaveRog said:

What about the control arm bolts? Ford says they are "one time use only". To me that sounds like lawyer talk.

Click to expand...

Ford bolts come with a special loctite on them. It's heat activated when you thread it in. Just use blue loctite and you will be fine