Which brand of ball joints?

[V6POWER]

The upper ball joint on the passenger side has split so I plan on replacing both uppers/lowers on an original 53,000 mile car. Local auto parts store (Advance) sells TRW, Moog, Rare Parts, and McQuay-Norris brands. Which would be the best brand? Thanks.

 

[gnxtc2]

The quality of Moog has gone down.

I would look into XRF. Ball Joints, Tie Rod Ends, Idler/Pitman Arms | XRF Steering and Chassis Parts

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[Gary Wells]

The best brand would probably be Howe Precision Ball Joints. I do not know if any of the Turbobuick.com supporting vendors handle them, if not talk to Marcus Savitske at Savitske Classic & Custom.

 

[K5Cruiser]

I'm very happy with the Moog parts I just installed on my '87 El Camino. They have the "problem solver" series which are suppose to be a bit more heavy duty. Those are the ones I installed. I got them from rockauto dot com.

 

[mybuick]

moog, trw and mcquay norris are the same company all are great products and eisy to find at parts stores i got all moog parts from lee auto 300 for all bj and steering parts and 130 for springs

 

[V6POWER]

Thanks for all the responses. Appears I have to make a decision since there is no one preferred brand. :smile:

 

[V6POWER]

K5Cruiser--I just checked Rock Auto website and they have very good prices. Thanks for the info. :smile:

 

[novaderrik]

Dana/Spicer are supposed to be the shiznitty, but you gotta pay for quality like that.
second best would be Moog/TRW, with anything else that is readily available being imported junk.
when i did my Nova, i used all Moog, and everything was substantially heavier and bigger than the oem stuff it replaced.

 

[V6POWER]

I ordered the Spicer from Rock Auto. They were $22.79 each and $10 shipping per pair.

 

[mybuick]

i used moog for all my front end parts great stuff

 

[DavzGN]

I was going to tell you to do a quick search for a rockauto discount code. It's an easy way to save 5% with just a little online searching.

David

 

[tpaul]

"mybuick" may be correct in the fact that the three compaines are the same... however, here's what I found out today.

I'm looking at rebuilding my front end and noticed that the Moog parts cost more than the TRW parts at Discount Auto(Advance Auto)(partsamerica.com.) I went to my local Discount Auto and compared an idler arm between Moog and TRW. The two parts were very simular in build, although not exact.

My final push over the more expensive edge came when I saw the Moog parts were made in the US and the TRW were made in China. I don't trust my hands to Chinese tools, so I'm sure not going to trust my life to Chinese made suspension parts!!!

You make the call... the added overall cost would be an extra hundred or so to by US made parts. Seriously... do you prefer Snap-On, Mac, Craftsman, or Chinese tools. Tell me where you would put your money at 100+mph at the end of the quarter mile! Life or death: is it worth a $100 bucks saved?

 

[mybuick]

i do own $18,000 in snap-on and mac tools so yes i would pay the extra for the moog and know i have great parts. and for now a days it will help the us economy. in the summer i have a 1989 gmc s15 jimmy 4x4 with 220,000 miles on it, (its my winter beater). i am fixing most of the rust and rebuilding the front suspention so i will be buying moog parts. just wish they made rear leaf springs... i aso found that Auto Parts Fast at RockAuto has cheap prices and crazy cheap shipping prices so i will be getting mine from them.

 

[tpaul]

Trust me my friend... I in no way meant to point an ill finger at you. I was strictly trying to point out that although the companies may be the same, there products are different.
I also have quite the collection of tools. My main factor in tool purchases has been two fold. One... Quality, two... made in the US! I have an Uncle that has worked for Snap-On and another Uncle that managed the foundry that makes Craftsman hammers.
Yes, we must support the US economy! You're not just spending the money on quailty parts... you're keeping your neighbors working!