Balljoint Nightmare

[chrismoore701]

Ok so here is the issue. I have a 1979 C10, I have been doing a frameoff for 7 years now. Installed the lower ball joints a couple years ago and managed to put a small cut in the driver boot. I was told I should replace it. couldnt find a boot to fit, so I bought a whole new ball Joint. I got a Moog. Swapped it out last night and for the life of me I can't get the boot to slide down over the joint. I thought I had a moog joint before so I called Moog and they sent me a couple boots. Well I managed to screw them up trying to install them with different methods, pressing with the installer. Finally said screw it and just set the last good boot on and hoped it would hold on just by the spindle pushing it down. Two of the pics are the joint I took out. The other is the way the boot looks now on the truck. I am worse now than I was with the slit. Grease comes out the bottom of the boot. The passenger side the boot is pressed down to the control arm. I am fed up with this. Your thoughts. I am thinking of taking the moog off getting my money back and putting the old one back on.

[truckin 79]

Are you saying the reason the boots do not look correct is because you are having trouble pressing the ball joint back in? If so why not just take the whole lower control are off and take it to someone who has a press. I did this and it cost like 20.00 to press it in. Also make sure all parts match up to the old. I bought some advance auto stuff and I got like 3 different sets of tie rods before I finally received the correct ones.

[chrismoore701]

The ball joint is installed correct. I got a ball joint tool from Autozone. It is pressed all the way in. The boot will not go over the housing of the ball joint. I tried two other boots and ruined them in the process. I tried to press them on with several different options and all it did was bend the washer embedded in the bottom of the boot

[min]

Those rubber boots are a pain to get on. It does not have to go all the way down to the a-arm. In your second picture you can see the lip it seats to. What i did was make sure the rubber boot was sitting on the ball joint square and tapped it on with a rubber mallet. This took a few tries because it kept wanting to pop back off.

[chrismoore701]

I tried everything and it sits up higher than I would like. I am thinking of taking it out and getting a another new one or putting the old one back on. I can hardly get any grease in here before it starts to come out. I should have check the boot on the ball joint before I installed it

[BR3W CITY]

why don't you use some safety wire to hold the boot on the base of the joint? Certain latemodel balljoints and plenty of CV axles use metal ties, wire or banding to keep the grease boot on...so maybe it would help?

In my case, pretty much every suspension joint has had its grease boot rip or smush within 1k miles of install. All the parts-store replacement boots I've used never fit well.

[chrismoore701]

I can't get the boot down far enough to get the wire to hold it. The boot keeps popping up. I am going to get a new joint and boot and try one more time. This time I will test fit prior to install

[Chaplain]

Dang...

[chrismoore701]

Update. I tried to press the last boot on and folded the washer down just like the other ones. Figured what do I have to loose so I tried to flatten the washer out in the vise. Was afraid it would cut the boot. Well it didn't and flattened out just enough and slid on real nice. So problem resolved and a lesson learned