Ball joint spindles fitted to Lower control arm

[Cale Wilbern]

I tried using the search function to find reference to swapping ball joint spindles; using the oem lower arm with a bung welded on and making a bracket for the upper new arm to connect to the frame holes. Anybody remember seeing something like that?

[rockne10]

Lost me here. Studebaker didn't have ball joints. What's your model? What's your issue?

[Alan]

Did that myself once. Used 58-64 Impala spindles. The Stude lower a-arms are too flimsy and long, to get the right angles you have to build your own lower arms of steel tubing and move the mounting points up the cross member. Big pain, little gain.

[PackardV8]

Big pain, little gain.

X2 on this one. Of all the things I'd ever do to a Stude, this is last on the list. Your car, your time, money and safety, your decision.

jack vines

[gordr]

What Jack said. I have never seen a Studebaker in the ditch because a lower trunnion wore out and separated; I have seen several Brand X that met that fate when a ball joint separated. I would estimate that there is better than ten times the total bearing area in a kingpin design than in a ball joint design.

[(S)]

I have a car coming into the shop that has had this done. The owner wants it changed back to original.

[sbca96]

My 1995 Impala SS clone got kicked out of service as a CHP car because the
lower ball joint broke. Police cars get abused a lot and this became a common
problem, to the point that in 1996 the Caprice 9C1 (police service code) used
the lower control arm, spindle and lower ball joint from the Cadillac Limos. I
know of one failure of a Stude suspension, the lower control arm split at that
trunnion hole, but the trunnion didnt fail.

Tom

[Cale Wilbern]

Thanks for all the responses. I especially appreciate the PM's with detailed instructions on conversions to various other makes of spindles.

[jlmccuan]

As a demolition derby driver, we always targeted the ball joint cars and could take them out with a good shot to the front wheel. They might still move, but not where the driver wanted to go, making them a sitting duck to finish them off.

[sbca96]

As mentioned in our PMs, I would be inclined to solve the upper control arm problem
by simply replacing it, and replacing the outer upper trunnion/alignment cam with one
of the adjustable upper control arm designs in use on other makes. If you raise the
upper pivot, it would be like lowering the inner one, and you can dial in the amount
of camber and caster with an adjustable rod upper arm. This would keep the stout
lower assembly, and steering intact. The upper ball joint could be layed on its side
since the king pin would still be handling the steering. I had made some sketches up
of this, and have been talking to Paul Keller about it.

Something like this could be made :



Or even more involved :







If your changes above are too great for the lower trunnion, the cross shaft can always be
shimmed to allow more room.

Tom