Once again need to replace lower right ball joint. This is a continuing condition as front end was recently rebuilt using moog parts and this ball joint is less the a year old. Any ideas or suggestions? Could I have a issue with the right lower control arm that i'm missing?..Dave

What makes you think it is worn out?

kesteb; have in excess of 1/4 inch play and you can actually twist the control arm at the ball joint, I am unable to do this on the left side. You can feel the pull when you brake hard, problem only exhibited itself on a trip back from Vegas. I did complete brake job and front end inspection and have new tires and drove the dart for a week prior to the trip and none of this was present . This car has a 30 year history of eating balljoints and tie rods which is the primary reason the prior owner sold it...Dave

Has this car ever had a accident involving the front end? It sounds like there is a lot of strain on that ball joint.

Car has never been involved in any type of accident. The only trauma to it has been when a group of black bears attacked it and lifted the front end off the ground. Thats what stumps me as the only other car I have had that exhibited a similar condition was the 66Dart that had been broadsided and shoved nosefirst into a pole early in its life, Took about 5 minutes to diagnose.....Dave

Explain more about "twisting the lower control arm at the ball joint". It is the lower bushings that keep the lower control arm from twisting, not the ball joint. I'm wondering if the control arm is loose somewhere it shouldn't be. The ball joint is designed to be twisted. Has this happened to you before? I know this sounds silly, but are you sure it is getting grease? Sometimes the zerk fittings on these ball joints are stubborn, and reject the grease flow. I have never actually worn out a ball joint on any of my Mopars. I end up replacing them when other parts wear out, and am rebuilding the front end anyway. They seem to be more durable than the bushings. What kind of condition are the shocks in? How about the wheels and tires, are they in good balance? Do you have front disk brakes? Could the rotor be warped and causing excessive shaking during braking? Just thoughts here.

To wear out a lower ball joint in roughly 500 miles, means something is not right. I wonder if the ball joint tab on the LCA is bent out of alignment. Thus putting a strain on the joint. Maybe those bears had a little to much fun with the car and bent something when they dropped the car.

It would be pretty easy to replace the lower control arm.. They're not too expensive, and relatively easy to find. I know "throwing parts at a car" is not the most sophisticated fix, but at least you could eliminate that possible couse of the problem. How about the other issues I raised two posts ago? I still wonder about the grease. I can't imagine wearing out a ball joint in 500 miles. You could almost scrape it along the ground for that far, and not destroy it. I'm sure you can fix this though. It's just car parts man. They can't defy the laws of physics.

I agree with 'Vader. Other than that, the only other thing I can think of, is that the tapers are worn because of poor fit, so the ball joint is never properly torqued.
Dry fit the ball jt stud and LCA, it should have 2-3 threads not showing allowing for the tapers to draw together. If you don't, use a GR8 structural washer, or better yet, a stud washer under the nut. Another way to tell if you have a problem, is make sure the slots in the castellated nut fit the hole in the stud for the cotter pin, when the nut is fully torqued.
Use machinist's Prussian Blue to check the fit between the tapers. It should have 80% 'transfer.'

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'66 Cuda 225/4spd
'66 Dart GT convertible 225/auto
'64 Dart GT 340/4spd

Wow, what responses! Answer for some of the questions, Yes car has always done this to this particular ball joint and yes it has new monroe shocks and new 9 drums all around, tires are less then 3 months old and zerk fittings were replaced a month ago. Agree that replacing the LCA may be the solution, have 10 disc waiting to be installed, but no matching LCA/UCA yet....Had to do this on one other car and LCA replacement was the solution...Dave

I have orderd tubular UCA for my '69 Dart. My stock Mopar UCAs will be for sale, as well as single piston caliper adapters if you are interested. They are both from a '73 Dart with disk brakes, and have given me about 100K miles (with the same ball joints). I think maybe Bud is onto the culprit there. I would guess your lower ball joint is not getting seated properly in the LCA. By the way, I have no idea what my parts are worth. They are in good shape. I sand blasted and painted them when I installed them, and have kept them clean and rust free.

Wish I trusted a tubular UCA set up, will be a lot of interest in your conversion. Appreciate the generous offer, will keep in mind...in the meantime will see if I can get the smuck who sold me the disc and calipers to also part with the UCA/LCA, who knows, if I approach him right maybe I can releve him of his spare 8.3/4 rear and if i'm living life right, the 4 speed attached to it..Dave

What would be your concern with tubular UCA's? Strength, accuracy, durability, appearance?

Uncomfortable with the tig welds used in their construction and durability of the tubing....Dave

Are these tig welds inherently weaker than the welds that hold the upper control arm mounts to the frame? Those welds don't look all that strong, or thoroughly done to me. I have always thought an awfull lot was riding on those tabs, and yet I never knew one to break. I've seen frames rust and fail there though.