Speedtech extreme subframe gen 1 camaro tight ball joints

[Melmount]

ago


I put a speedtech subframe into my car. It came with ball joints installed into the A arms. Also has sweet mfg rack pinion. Very hard steer the car sitting still. I jacked up the front end and still hard. I removed tie rod ends and now it’s real easy. The issue is the ball joints. It takes a lot force to turn spindles. Any way to loosen it? I am thinking I will have send speedtech the control arms back? Any suggestions?

[dhutton]

At the risk of sounding like a butthead, did you grease them? Balljoints usually loosen up a little after some use.

Don

[Melmount]

I did grease em. Have not driven car just moved in driveway. Should they be tight? It takes both arms and full force to turn spindle while trying pull on rotor. I even put big adjustable on rotor and it’s still real hard.

[dhutton]

That does sound a little tight but if you Google it you will find it is a common complaint with new balljoints. They should lighten up with a few miles. You could always give them a call.

Don

[Blown353]

Unless it's a low friction balljoint like Howe or QA1 they should have some preload on them and have some drag when turning, but you should still be able to swing the spindle right to left by hand with little to moderate effort.

Not saying this is the case in your situation, but a few times in the last couple of years I've installed lower control arms from other manufacturers with wildly incorrect press fits on the balljoint housings and/or the arms have the ball joint sockets severely out of round from welding and manufacturing. Both cases can end up distorting the ball joint itself and binding them up. Worst case I had was so bad you could steer the car all the way right or left and let go of the wheel and take your foot off the brake and the car would keep driving in circles, the ball joints were so tight the steering wouldn't even recenter itself. Turns out the press fit into the arms was WAY too tight and the ball joint sockets in the arms were also out of round by 0.018" from welding.

Doesn't help that ball joint manufacturers don't seem to put much effort into making correct size ball joint housings anymore for older applications like our cars, ball joint housing ODs today are all over the place. Only ones I've seen sized properly to their advertised diameter and correct to original GM diameters are Howe and QA1. Moog seems to be sourcing their balljoints from multiple sources now and some batches are more "correct" than others when it comes to OD.