Review on Moog K6291 Ball Joint by Richard Alemayehu

The quality (as with all Moog products I have used) is excellent. Fits perfectly. The only minor complaint I could have had would be that it's difficult to attach grease nipples to the bottoms because the hole is unthreaded and you can't get a socket on the nipple because its head is tilted. It works well but could be easier to install. For those thinking of replacing ball joints in a GM truck that they are riveted into, I thought I'd share my own experience. I have been repairing cars and trucks for 20 years and have restored several old cars. From engine restoration to painting, everything was included. I know what I am doing. I have a pretty decent tool kit. And I have to say it was one of the hardest experiences I've ever had. Why Chevy chose to rivet these joints remains a complete mystery - most cars simply press them in and replacing them is a chore. However, here's the process that finally worked: Top Links - Use a grinder to cut off the rivet heads. Drill them (drill a pilot hole first). Then use an air chisel or hammer and a cold chisel to hit the bottom until the debris comes out. Oh, and good luck drilling through the hole without cutting the control lever. You will need it. Bottoms - Sand the top of the rivets flat. Drill a pilot hole. Climb under the lever and cut the heads off the bottom of the rivets. Drill them from below (you cannot drill from above with the joystick). And yes, it's about as fun as it sounds. Finally knock out the remaining rivets from above. I used 6 drill bits to do this job (including a cobalt and titanium nitride drill bit) so add about $35 worth of drill bits. And forget about knocking them out instead of drilling. I've tried heating them with a burner and then expelling them. That does not work. The air hammer didn't work. Alternatively you could pull out all 4 wishbones and cut off the rivet heads and then press them out hydraulically, but then you could save yourself the trouble and buy new wishbones. who already have connections. Making new connections is easy. To be honest if I ever have to do this job again I'll just buy control arms. I could do it in a few hours instead of stretching it out over several days. Although the seams are good. There's over 220,000 on the truck so I think they'll outlive the rest.