sb69coupe

Whew, what a mouthful. I'm in the process of tearing apart the front suspension of my '69 for a rebuild. I noticed that the front end kit I bought doesn't contain the ball stud for the relay rod that attaches to the pitman arm. Logically, I can't see why this part would wear, but looking at the boots they are cracked and in poor shape. Is there a method or measurement I can use to see if the stud has too much wear? Are the rubber boots available from a vendor without having to purchase the entire ball stud kit?

Obviously I haven't gotten the relay rod removed from the car yet, so some of this may be obvious once I get it off and on the bench.

Thanks,
Shannon

sb69coupe

TTT - surely SOMEONE has rebuilt the front end on a non-PS car and faced this.....

redvetracr

Shannon,
The "ball stud" does wear and usually these are worn out with a bad groove cut into them. The clamp and rubber boot are available, BUT I can`t seem to figure out why the boot is worth $12 ?? The ball stud (if you can find one) is terribly expensive. ZIP shows a kit for $95 in a two year old catalog but someone here was looking and said it`s discontinued. If anyone out there knows where to buy the "kit" to rebuild a manual center /drag link REASONABLE please let me know!! I just put my LAST good ball stud in my spare centerlink. redvetracr

sb69coupe

Thanks! I found a kit in my current Paragon catalog. I'll call them today to see if it's still available.

Shannon

GTR1999

I just rebuilt this part. I used the "kit" from Paragon. It comes with a stud,boot and clamp. About $50 if I recall. Doesn't come with springs or cups. The Zip kit was discontinued when I tried to order a month ago.
The ball stud was one thing that was overlooked in past suspension rebuilds and the ball had grooves worn into it. The GM manual has the correct procedure to install the nut and cotter pin.
Gary

no_radio

Eckler's used to carry all the parts in the back "restoration" section of their catalog, but it's been about 3 or 4 years since I bought mine.
I would replace it while you're in there, just for good measure.
Jeff