Travis - sflraver

The aluminum bronze ball joint kits will come with everything. Pins, zerk fittings, lower plates, seal rings, retaining rings, boots, G-comp lower bushings, aluminum bronze uppers, internal springs and epoxy. They are going to be sold per arm unlike our other kits which are for both arms. The "Track kit" with the aluminum bronze bushings should be ready for sale at the end of this week.

The aluminum bronze bushings are only recommended for those who track the cars, do heavy auto-x ing or that don't mind jacking the car up once in a while to grease the zerk fittings. The zerk fitting on a ball joint with A.B. upper bushings is the most critical component.

The aluminum bronze is an extremely durable bushing material but it does have a drawback. It must be kept fully lubricated at all times. The lubrication is not so much for reduction of friction between the bushings and the ball pin as it is to prevent the bronze portion of the bushing from oxidizing. When bronze oxidizes it forms a layer of Tin Oxide. This layer is much harder than the bronze below it or the steel ball pin that is riding in it. With no grease and an oxidized A.B. bushing it would have the same effect as throwing a small handful of fine sand inside the ball joint. This is why regular maintenance and regreasing is a must when using this type of upper bushing. As soon as the grease is depleated the joint degrades rapidly into a scored and gauled mess.

For those who want to be able to install the ball joints and only regrease them about once a year we have other kit options available.The S.D. ball joint kit comes with glass filled polymer bushings. These are still plastic bushings but they are made with fine strands of chopped silica fiber inside to give them more strength and durability. They should last at least twice as long as the original ones that came in the arms from Porsche.

As for the arms, their are several types. For the most part the casting numbers do not matter all that much when it comes to the ball joint section. Some of the later arms that were put to use on the 968s have a different way of holding the ball joint assembly in. They did not use a snapring but instead a rolled over lip that secures the joint. The problem with this is that the aluminum can not be bent away to release the joint then expected to hold when bent back in place. This type is only found in new Porsche arms or some late 968 take offs. This type of ball joint can be recognized easily from the under side of the arm. The rolled edge type should be noticeable even with the arm on the car. Look at the aluminum around the bottom of the ball joint and compare the two arms. If you need some pictures for reference just email me. I doubt you have one of these arms but it is always a possibility.

azmi951

Thank you Travis. I will be ordering one of your kits soon.

Travis - sflraver

Sounds good. Just grab it off the site or give me a ring when your ready.

Luis de Prat

OK guys, I succeeded in removing both control arms, but there's no way I'm getting that retaining clip out of the ball joint pocket. It slides around, but there's no getting behind it. What kind of tool is needed? I'm stopping by a shop tomorrow that rebuilds control arms, to see if they can get them out for me.

PorscheDoc

I was able to use an old sharp lead for an ohm meter, got it behind there, and pushed it out enough to get a needle nose on it.

RMills944

It only took me about 10 minutes to have both of them off of my 84, and that was with never having done that before. The bolts came out without a problem - no PB blaster or anything.

Bryans951

I had the same trouble the first time I did mine. If you take a really small drill bit and drill into the clip (be careful not to go through into the plate) it will just break in half and is much easier to get out.

Luis de Prat

Oh, that's a great idea, but won't the clip metal be too hard to drill through?
Brilliant! Thank you!

washington951

luis - glad you're into the project and it sounds like its going ok. you'll get the rings out - stay at it!!

Travis - sflraver

Ok here is a trick that the "pros" use. take that small drill and make a small hole in the aluminum behind the circlip next to the opening. This will let you get a pick behind it and it will pop right out. Just make sure to clean up the snap ring groove before reinstallation.

pschaars944s2

I liked the drilling idea, but I didn't have a bit strong enough. I ended up using my dremel with a diamond bit. took about 20 seconds and was able to control it enough not to touch the control arm or the plate (which I already messed up with a regular drill). I did it in half, but if I were to do it again, I would do it in thirds to make getting the pieces out even easier. Also, I compressed the back plate per the instructions in clarks-garage to have the pieces come out even easier.