79 Dana 44 ball joint help

[nssj2]

Hey just a quick question. Is there a trick to tightening the lock nut on the lower ball joint? Id like to get this assembled off the truck, but if I have to wait, then so be it. Thanks!

 

[pat3]

i do it 2 ways . The first way is tighten the top it will ushaly let you tighten the bottom. If that dont work then you will have 2 put it on the truck and stick a jack under it

 

[nssj2]

sweet! I'll give that a try. Thanks for the quick reply too.

 

[james t]

Just a tip- put anti seize on the part of the balljoint that seats in the tapered hole. If you're keeping the rig long term, the next time you have to change them out (or take the knuckle off for some reason) they'll pop out easy.

 

[Fusion213]

I THINK I just forced the bottom balljoint up into the tapered hole and the tapered fit keeps it from rotating. Don't forget to set the preload correctly on the upper balljoint for long life.