Upper ball joints

[Skindiggers]

I need new upper ball joints , and i was looking to buy them from Mevotech... can someone tell me if they are stronger them the original ones ?
If someone have some good opinion about other brands , please advise ..
P.S.: The best price for the ball joints that i found it here :http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/2003/chevrolet/trailblazer/suspension/ball_joint.html
But looks like Mevotech is having 3 different upper ball joints for TB 2003 and i don't know which one to choose ! Can you please help me with this too...

[Trail X]

Why do you need stronger ball joints? Are yours failing or bent?

Or is this just standard maintenance?

[Skindiggers]

I don't actually need stronger ones but since i'm not in US i don't want to pay the shipping every 6 months..
Mine are not totally destroyed but i heard a "punk" noise today while i was turning maximum left at low speed and i was descending .. i know that this is the first sign , that they need replacement ! I don't want to wait until one of my wheels will fall of on a side .

[fishsticks]

You sure it's not the lower?

[Trail X]

Vali, as with many of ball joints, their life is equivalent to how well they stay greased. Find some that are re-greaseable and they could live longer. If you haven't done the UCA flip yet, you may want to do that to prevent the ball joints from over-bending when your suspension extends down.

[markmc]

You sure it's not the lower?

He`s gonna order both upper and lower.
I told him to get everyones opinion on price and quality (possible part numbers) here before i place the order for him..

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[fishsticks]

You sure it's not the lower?

He`s gonna order both upper and lower.
I told him to get everyones opinion on price and quality (possible part numbers) here before i place the order for him..

Any input is greatly appreciated.

In that case, I bought Mevotech LCAs complete with ball joints. No complaints.

I think Bill is using Mevotechs as well.

[markmc]

In that case, I bought Mevotech LCAs complete with ball joints. No complaints.

I think Bill is using Mevotechs as well.[/quote]

Great info, thanks!
Did the LCA`s come with pivot bushings as well?

[fishsticks]

Great info, thanks!
Did the LCA`s come with pivot bushings as well?

Yes. A complete bolt in assembly, including the alignment plates. Well worth the $150 ea IMO.

[Skindiggers]

Guys.. i don't need new LCA's , and my lower ball joints are fine ...
About the UCA flip i really don't want to cut the inner fender and i think i'm gonna wait till next winter when i will mount a body lift and flip them when i will lift the body ...
I will ask Mark to buy me the Mevotech upper ball joints !
Thank you very much ...

[Skindiggers]

After thinking a little bit more about all this effort of ordering them and then shipping them from Mark to my house i decided to buy all 4 ball joints , in order to finish all this story with ball joints..
In the past month i invested more than $1500 in this truck and thanks to Mark i changed the radiator , manifold , new suspension , wheel spacers , new shock absorbers , everything except the ball joints .. It will be a shame not to change all the ball joints since they are not expensive at all...

[navigator]

good call on going ahead and getting the lowers. Kudos to Mark for helping you out with shipping.
When I flipped my UCA, I took out my wheel liners to do the cutting, then put them back in.
you can't tell they were cut at all. the cutting wasn't too bad and for some I was able to hammer them out of the way instead of cutting.

I used a saber/reciprocating saw since I don't have a saws-all but it might take a couple of blades.

[Skindiggers]

..before i met Mark , my truck was small ugly and sick , now is taller wider and healthy .. Thank you so much Mark! Or should i say doctor Mark ? )

[Karo]

After thinking a little bit more about all this effort of ordering them and then shipping them from Mark to my house i decided to buy all 4 ball joints , in order to finish all this story with ball joints..
In the past month i invested more than $1500 in this truck and thanks to Mark i changed the radiator , manifold , new suspension , wheel spacers , new shock absorbers , everything except the ball joints .. It will be a shame not to change all the ball joints since they are not expensive at all...

You changed the radiator and manifold? Why???
KaRo

[Skindiggers]

The radiator was leaking from the bottom , somewhere in between the aluminum part and the plastic bottom and when i removed it from the car i realized that was also swollen , maybe it got blocked and from the pressure ..
The manifold is a common problem for the trailblazer , two years ago i took out the manifold and i weld it , but now was cracked again .. and i had to change it !
My truck is having 160.000 km on board .. with this mileage a lot of parts need attention !

[v7guy]

A cracked ex manifold is fairly common. I've also seen lots of plastic radiator tanks start leaking. Pretty par for the course with that mileage.