Ball Joints and Tie Rods

[Taily]

I like to replace them and am more comfortable with nuts and bolts to hold them in place. I can check and re-tighten them if need be with no need to remove the wishbone from the car just to have a rivet hit harder. Unless a rivet job is done properly, the balljoint will not be secure.

You are right, the rivets do not come loose if done properly, just the same as the bolts don't. A bit of trivia for ya.... rivetting is the way they were done (in the car), at most if not all Holden Service departments (until about HZ - the older guys would know when that changed) when TRW (the genuine component supplier) were able to supply standardised kits between genuine and aftermarket.

When I kicked-off my apprenticeship in the mid 80's I was still taught how to rivet them in-situ in the car at work. Was a fiddly job to get right (was easier with two people) but not hard to do by yourself. They were a less common job than lower ball joints but still replaced almost annually by some tradie vehicles. I still smile to this day when I hear/see someone get a bit excited by finding "original" rivetted top ball joints....

I never bother rivetting these days (unless asked to) and use the bolts on my own HJ. One thing to watch though Rob, if you find you need to tighten ball joint retaining bolts in service then it is time to have a really good look for damaged bolts/flogged holes as the whole lot will be already moving around and starting to crack/stretch (usually through either over or under tensioning) bolts etc.

It is all good for owners to be able to work on their pride and joy as it can be very satisfying etc (I get that - especially as a "retired" mechanic - still working, just in another industry these days). There are risks either way the ball joint is attached (probably moreso with the bolts) but that wasn't quite the point of my previous post.

Dave.