Ball joint castle nuts and cotter pins

[LynnBob 65 Mustang]

The upper ball joint castle nut is TQ'd 50-90 lbs per manual specs and the cotter pin goes through where it is supposed to go as in hole and slot.


The lower ball joint castle nut is TQ'd the same, but the cotter pin is way high and does not go through the castle nut and hole together...


Will this be OK or does it need some washers under the castle nut to get the height up so the cotter pin can actually go through hole and slots the way it is supposed to?
Lynn

[65fastback6]

The castle nut for the bottom looks smaller than the
one at the top, is that the case?
They are usually the same size.

The original nuts were taller which would help.

[LynnBob 65 Mustang]

Same size nuts.
Lynn

[LeeFred]

This really isn't an answer, but this is one of those things that makes me go "(*&($#(*@*#!"

[65fastback6]

Do you have the original castle nuts to compare them to?
I've got several used originals you are welcome to.

[LynnBob 65 Mustang]

No, I don't, they came with the ball joints.
Lynn

[Klutch]

Wow, I've replaced many a ball joint and I've never had that problem. I'm thinking the hole in the second ball joint is just drilled wrong. Can you exchange it?

FWIW, if I had this issue, I'd buy another lower ball joint and compare it to the installed ball joint. If the hole in the new ball joint was drilled lower, I'd install that one, even if I couldn't exchange or get a refund for the other one. Considering how critical of a component a ball joint is, it's nothing to mess with. The price of a new ball joint is cheap insurance.

[JohnnyK]

Who makes the ball joints? Where did you get them?

[66Restomod]

The LCA I bought from CJ had the same problem. I drilled a new hole to solve the problem. I plan on going with new Opentraker LCA with spherical bearings to take advantage of my adjustable strut rods for caster adjustment this spring

[bartl]

Go get bigger nuts.. :-)

[awhtx]

Castle nuts are available in both thin (short) like yours and in thick (tall) like you need. Take your short ones to an auto parts or fastener supply and tell them you need a tall one. If you can't find tall ones put a Grade 8 flat washer under the short ones.

[Joe]

I agree with awhtx. I just replaced all my '65's control arms, and the castle nuts are taller than the ones in your pictures. They are 5/8" tall in total, and 7/16" from the bottom of the nut to the bottom of the castellations. I took these measurements off the originals, and my new ones are the same dimensions.

[LynnBob 65 Mustang]

Originally Posted by JohnnyK

Who makes the ball joints? Where did you get them?

They are arms from the GAT kit that Mustang Plus had.

Thanks for the replies!! I'll get taller nuts.
Thanks again,
Lynn

[Blues Power]

just curious as this has nothing to do with your issue but TQ 50-90 is a very very wide margin.

usually its 5 or so either way but 40 sounds way wierd to me.

[GT289]

The taper in the lower hole is not the same as the taper of the ball joint
stud. (They should be exactly the same however) - Quick & dirty answer.

If you were drilling a taper in the spindle and went too deep, that's the
situation you would get..... needing a washer under the castle nut so
that the cotter key slots would line up with the hole in the ball joint.
You can get the same effect with a factory taper on the spindle and
a narrow taper on the ball joint stud.
So, unless the lower hole in the spindle is badly wallowed out, that's
probably the scenario you're dealing with. Take a close look at the taper
of the lower ball joint.

ex-Global West GM
1991-1995