Heninger LCAs - Replacement Ball Joints

[Josh]

Since Bryne closed down shop where can you source these ball joints? For some reason I heard they are different than the other ball joints offered by DMC.

Any help is appreciated!

[Patrick C]

He may still be answering emails: heningerandassoc(at)bellsouth.net

[Mark D]

DPI and DMCH are now carrying the DMC Eurotech sourced balljoints which are the ones you want to buy. If you want to read more about the history of all things ball joints there is some good info here:


http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?24...ll=1#post32450

[content22207_2]

Byrne's arms take the same size ball joint as OEM.

Byrne used Uro Parts #131 405 371G.

xRef's to a Volkswagen Beetle (I'm pretty sure that's what Hervey is xRef'ing, although brand could be different).

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Mark D]

Cliff's notes version of the thread I linked to above on the crossover VW joints:

-The top groove for the snap ring has to be machined in after the fact and there is often little to no material left above the snap ring groove vs the OE joint.

-The taper dimensions on ball joint shaft do not match OEM specs and there is potential for the shaft to extend past the knuckle preventing the castle nut from torquing properly and locking in the taper.

-The guys at the DMC Eurotech forum went to the original supplier to have the new ball joints made to the original dimensions for an exact fit.

[content22207_2]

Byrne's ball joint pad is 1/2" thick -- don't know if the snap ring groove is even visible.

You don't need snap rings (I beams on pre-1987 Ford trucks bury their snap ring grooves). Spring pushes the LCA into the ball joint so it couldn't come out anyway.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[content22207_2]

Just checked: Uro Parts ball joints (at least the ones Byrne was using) don't have snap rings.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[PJ Grady Inc.]

DPI and DMCH are now carrying the DMC Eurotech sourced balljoints which are the ones you want to buy. If you want to read more about the history of all things ball joints there is some good info here:


http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?24...ll=1#post32450

We have been using the Eurotech ball-joints and have had no problems. They look and fit like the later NOS ball-joints.
Rob

[DeLoreanGo Arran]

I concur with the above - Mark's link above is a good one - for those interested in the whole ball joint story it is here: http://www.deloreaneurotec.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2198

In short, in the past there were 3 makes of lower ball joint - ours, DMCH and Hervey's VW cross reference. The cross reference one isn't quite right, and there were some reports of premature failures with the DMCH ones (in a few cases even new ones failed our state road-worthiness inspections over here)
Now there are 3 types again, but different. Hervey still sells his VW ones, Ed in Europe has just had some made in Germany. The ones sold by us, Rob, Josh and DMCH all come from the same place in the UK. Stronger and thicker than the originals, and with 4 grease channels built into the seat of the joint, which is far superior to the old method.

Ours are available here: http://www.deloreanclub.uk/lower-ball-joints-pair.html and we ship worldwide, but if you're getting parts in the USA anyway I think every vendor carries the same ones except John Hervey.

Ball joint failures make for some pretty nasty looking photos - in fact one such photo appeared on a celebrity's Instagram account only this week here in the UK, he was writing a newspaper column on the car at the time! ouch!

[axh174]

*Bump*

I have a set of Bryne's LCAs and a set of ball joints from deloreanclub.uk. I was under the impression that these ball joints could be used to replace the ones that came with Bryne's LCAs (the VW cross reference part). So I took the arms and ball joints to my mechanic the other day and asked him to press the old ones out and get the new ones pressed in. He called me later and told me that the new ones (deloreanclub.uk) were too large and could not be pressed in.

Have I proceeded under a false assumption? Are the deloreanclub.uk ball joints not usable in Bryne's LCAs? Is there a special trick or type of tool needed to get them pressed in? Or should I be looking for another mechanic?

Any help is, of course, much appreciated =)

-Kevin
VIN2234