ball joints popping out?? anyone heard of this??

westy68 · Nov 30, 2009

Hello there guys..

i was wondering if anyone has heard of anyones ball joints snapping or popping out on a bay when they have dropped it as far as it can go on an ajustible beam and that has had the bump stops cut off? had a look under a few buses now and they seam to have the bump stops removed to get the extra drop.. i had mine done but they said keep the stops in place.. did this but it done nothing but bang.. so raised it up again..

So can i drop it back ( 2 on the back and front to match) to how it was and lose the bump stops totally with it being safe to drive or.... well... NOT.. :lol:

Cheers Dan

Trikky2 · Nov 30, 2009

Dropping ball joint suspension too far damages the ball joints because they are being forced to work at the limits of their travel. If you remove the bump stops they can then be forced beyond the range of movement they were designed for and will be likely to come out or break due to metal fatigue.

The only safe way to run that low is dropped spindles IMO.

Other solutions are more difficult such as changing to the old link pin setup used on splits, or raising the beam on the chassis or I have heard there are joints available that can be used at more extreme angles than stock ones.

ps. I don,t agree with lowering to any extreme, even if the suspension is modified to not break because there are other inherent safety issues.

Clem · Nov 30, 2009

Volksworld/Matt Keene/Creative(?) were involved in an article published a could of years ago that stated that 4" was the maximum 'safe' drop on a stock ball joint beam.

westy68 · Nov 30, 2009

thanks guys.. im one splin on the back and lowered front to match so i guess with out spending a lot more dolla that will be my max?

Clem · Nov 30, 2009

westy68 said:
thanks guys.. im one splin on the back and lowered front to match so i guess with out spending a lot more dolla that will be my max?

There abouts, yes. Ive just spent about Â£700 to go two or three inches lower from your point, but also improving the ride, I hope.

ground hugger · Dec 1, 2009

Looking at this thread http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19505" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
a stock height bay is 16.5 ins from wheel arch to centre of hub (if ive read it right)
My van is down on the adjusters at the moment and measures,
12ins thats a 4.5 inch drop.So the 4inch that clem posted sounds about right because my tie-rods just catch on the chassis(need flipping)