Which ball joint?

[dodger1]

I'm about to do the ball joints on my 82 Mirada (and bolt on the 11.75 rotors from a 79 Cordoba at the same time) The parts guys asked me whether I had threaded or non-threaded type ball joints. Went home and looked in my F.S.M., only to have it refer to both types. Anyone know which type an 82 F-J-M body has so I can order them in before starting the job?

[5th Ave Sleeper]

look at your originals. (uppers) if they are round on the top by the grease fitting they are non threaded. if they have four flat spots around the outter edge then the are the screw in type and you must use the special ball joint socket. dont think you can turn them out with a wrench. you will need a strong impact for that.
as far as the lowers, they are more than likley non threaded press in type. instead of taking the whole lower cont arm out to put it in a press, support the car with jack stads by the frame and put a bottle jack under the cont arm just inside the b joint and beat it out with a BFH. then to install put the bottle jack under the b joint using a big socket to grab the outter edge and pound on the cont arm outside edges
make sure to grease the hole and the surface of the b joint so they go together easier

[John Kunkel]

The uppers should be the same threaded type that goes back to the sixties, the lower is the one that can be either threaded or press-in. The four corners identify the thread in type.

[dodger1]

Thanks, 5th and JK. I do have an (electric) impact wrench, but I don't have a square socket. I also have a poly bushing kit (Energy) that I bought a long time ago. Maybe this is the time to just pull the control arms and get it all done.

[Crank]

tops screw in, bottoms press in

[dodger1]

Just looked in my 80 FSM and it has more detail than the 82 FSM - confirms what crank just said but I'll look for the flats on the bottom one as John mentioned since it would appear a running change might have happened after the straight-bar cars disappeared (81 or 82?)