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I blasted and repainted my upper arms and then, had to file the holes bigger for the bolts with new ball joint. I regret doing this, but it seems Bair's has the bigger bolts with a rivet head to look original. Has anyone used these? Thanks much!
ALL SERVICE upper ball joints have 11/32" holes for use with 5/16" bolts (or, rivets). This includes the once-available GM ball joints. In fact, the size of the holes in the upper ball joints is the ONLY difference between GM PRODUCTION ball joints and the GM SERVICE ball joints. The GM lower SERVICE ball joints were identical to the PRODUCTION pieces.
In any event, since all SERVICE upper ball joints, GM or otherwise, have the 11/32" holes, you pretty much have to use 5/16" bolts (or, rivets or Bair's "rivet head bolts). Consequently, there's no alternative to enlarging the holes in the upper A-arm.
I've not used the Bair's "rivet head bolts", but I have looked at them. They look good. However, keep in mind that they still require a nut on the underside (uppers) and inside (lowers). So, while they may look like rivets at a casual glance, they're quite easily discernable if someone looks close (like a judge might). Still, they're quite convenient to install and they look a lot closer to original configuration than the standard bolts supplied with the ball joints. If I were going to use bolts, these are the ones that I'd use.
I saw a set of repro ball joints on e-bay last week. They appear to have the correct pilot area on the stud. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are the holes the original assembly line size?
Thanks,
Mark
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