Diesel truck help,
 

My dad has a friend who has a 1989 D250 with the Cummins engine. While on vacation a repair shop he went to F'd up the front suspension bad. They put 3300lb ball joints where 4000lb versions should of been. He was in a bind with a ripped ball joint. So no limping it home.

I found this out when he came over to have me look at it quickly as he thought something was still wrong, and I found the upper ball joint would not seat. A few phone calls I got some answers.

Do one of you know if the 3300lb upper a arm is the same as the 4000lb version? Just different ball joints.

How long would the 3300lb version last in a Cummins truck that he just drives around in? From my quicky research the ball joints are about the same as typical C30 versions, and people do that swap a good bit.

He is 90 years old, and is very active. He will out live me. So long-term safety is a factor. He is known to drive several hundred miles away to visit family, and participate in his hobby.

I am trying to gather ideas since we may not be able to get the 4000lb version locally, and I am not hip to trusting idiots 5 states away to know the difference. I did find a couple of places that supposedly have the right parts. So he has gone to check them out.

I checked car-part.com, ebay, and CL. Anyone know of other options as the a arms are no longer manufactured, but I can easily get him consumables.

Re: Diesel truck help,
 

You might check with member Dieselwrencher he is pretty sharp on some of that stuff.

LockDoc

Re: Diesel truck help,
 

You need someone who knows 2wd Dodge trucks from that era. I am of no help

Re: Diesel truck help,
 

Are they the thread in or press in? What makes you thing they used the 3k when 4k was needed, did they r&r the control arms or just the ball joints? My local NAPA shows both versions, and shows plenty of them in the distribution network

Re: Diesel truck help,
 

The bolt heads are different, and the ball joint wobbles in the spindle.

Thanks, I will check the napa