My 86 brat is squeeking from the right front ball joint. Getting ready to change, any info on best place to buy , Napa or online and any tricks to doing it. Should I replace both sides at same time? Thanks

have a BFH ready to pound away at the lower crossmember to get it to free from the hub. might be a neater way to do it, but that's how i get it. the slot that accepts the ball joint in the hub has a slit in it i believe too and once you get the bolt out you can wedge a chisel in there and tap at it to help free it up as well. other than getting the BJ out of the hub it's straight forward (rust doesn't count!). if you suspect any rust on bolts then spray a day or two before you start with liquid wrench or PB blaster (don't use WD-40, not nearly as good).

 

replacement is up to you. i like doing everything around the same time to keep track, but i keep my vehicles for ever too so i know i'll pat myself on the back for the reliability. if you want to save a couple dollars then don't, if you plan on keeping the car awhile then figure the other will fail at some point, might as well do them both so you don't need to go through the procedures again. it's not a failure threat as there is usually noise or wobbling around turns associated with a bad ball joint so it's not a reliability or safety concern if you don't (so long as you notice when the other starts to go bad).

 

you sure it's the ball joint? mine have never made any noise when they start going bad, but i'm sure there are different failure modes.

Your right it not the ball joint it's the lower control arm. The bushing seal is flat . Squeeks when you turn left . Are these hard to get off?

hard is relative but control arms have never been much of an issue for me. again you'll need a big hammer to wail the knuckle off the ball joint though. other than that, just remove bolts (and spray with liquid wrench/pb blaster if necessary).

Here we go again , it's the right tie rod end making the squeeking noise. Should I replace the jus the ends or the whole rod?

ha ha. no sweat. not familiar with a brat but pretty sure i'd just replace the tie rod ends. just mark it well so you can install the other exactly the same way, i believe it threads on so maybe you can count number of turns or just mark exactly how far it is threaded with something you'll be able to see later.

 

you definitely want to replace these immediately, good items to replace on older cars. if they fail while driving that is a very very dangerous scenario. reminds me, i keep meaning to replace them on my 220,000 mile XT6.

Is the squeek when you turn? It's probably the strut top if that's the case. Most of those joints don't squeek, they just get loose when they wear.

Yes, replace them both. Also a good time to look at brake pads, rotors, axles, axle boots, and bearings.