donbrew

If anyone still has their old lower control arms or the ball joints laying around the garage, I need to know a) FE1 or FE3 and b) the diameter of the ball joint post. Save an old guys knees and back from getting under the car needlessly.

I may have ordered the wrong parts.

843de

If I'm interpreting the attached link and parts breakdown correctly Don, it looks like the FE1 and FE3 share the same part numbers for the LCA's and steering knuckles. So if that is indeed true, the ball joint post diameter should be the same for both configurations.

http://parts.nalleygmc.com/showAssem...rimLevel=14420

whopper

Mine are tucked away in storage behind the Wing and the car - so they will take me about 15 minutes to get at them. Oh wait - I don't have anything that would give me an accurate measurement anyways.

I think they are the same as per what 843de said. If you drop the ball joint first (and only) out of the knuckle, you will be able to test fit the ball joint stud prior to pulling the whole arm out.

Mine has FE1 - and I used the complete arms from AutoZone - http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...3_132297_4302_

donbrew

If you get the chance, I'd appreciate it. Oh, that's right, you guys don't have inches in Canada!

I got a set marked for FE3 from Ebay from a place I've got them from before. They are suddenly specifying FE1 & FE3, they used to say "all models". First thing I noticed was the bushing is the solid kind not the cut out kind.

Oldblue has said in a few posts that there is a difference in the ball joint, and when I did a SEARCH I could not find the thread that I thought I remembered having the sizes listed. I had thought that the ball joints would only be different on FE5.

Oldblue

Don I pm'd you about this, the FE 5 seems to be a larger diameter post, and after 36 years of the metric system I still measure in inches, but don't tell the RCMP !! FE1 and FE3 are the same size

donbrew

Okay, to be clear for future members who have discovered the SEARCH tool.

FE1 and FE3 ball joint posts measure .815 inches diameter. FE5 is larger, do not know the number.

Inches do exist in Canada! I always thought they were illegal there. I'd almost be willing to send you some "real" bacon Steve. What would the tax be on that! Here's an inch anyway -----------_ (had to use the underline to get it exact).

Oldblue

bacon eh! and a barley sandwich

donbrew

Now I just spent several minutes on RockAuto and Ebay, they are claiming that SS has either FE1 or FE3 with no listing for FE5 at all! And furthermore the part numbers are the same across 3 different brands for FE1 & FE3.

What a wild swing in prices from $75 to $136 each, they all seem to be "made in China".

I forgot about barley, no Scotch just Rye which isn't Rye at all and just what is corn (on a cob or wheat).

843de

Filed the dimensions away for future reference, thanks Don.

Inches are legal in Canada, and I've even gotten "American Bacon" in Toronto, felt like a black market transaction....but it was honest to goodness non-round, crispy, and delicious bacon.