5.0 Miata

Can the ball joint on the upper control arm be replaced? I cannot find the ball joint part anywhere. It appears the the ball joint is pressed into the arm.

Thanks,
Denis

mrmustang

If you have a 90-97 Miata MOOG part number "K500210"

chpmnsws6

I wish they had that when I built my car! I had to buy two new upper control arms!

5.0 Miata

I'll probably going to end up getting a set of the tubular control arms from V8 Roadsters. Too much of a PITA to get the ball joints pressed etc. Gonna be twice the price but they will be pretty... I guess I will have to weld on a fastener for the abs wire though.

chpmnsws6

Pressing them in and out is SIMPLE. Its done in a matter of minutes, and the new ones can be tack welded in within the same amount if time.

5.0 Miata

Which way do they press, up or down? I don't have a press, is there some sort of jig I can rig up with a vice?

Thanks for the advice...

chpmnsws6

Up. A rental ball joint press might actually work pretty well with these

V8MiataMike

I pressed in those new Moog ball joints into mine. That part was very simple. They come with a heavy duty "C" clip that goes onto them on the bottom side so they are captured in the A arm. I saw no need to tack weld as they absolutely can not come out with that snap ring on them.

The rubber boot was a PITA. I messed one up and got the other on OK. In the end I wound up getting the red urethane boots from the parts store and installed them as you can not get a replacement boot from Moog. They worked very well.

Mike

5.0 Miata

Thanks for the info Mike, I found these at V8 Roadsters....

Front Upper Ball Joint - V8 Roadsters

Do they look like a similar install as the MOOG's?

Den

V8MiataMike

Front Upper Ball Joint - V8 Roadsters


Wow, those are expensive and must be a rebuildable type of ball joint.

The Moog joint is your typical style of replacement part.