proper installation of the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle nuts

[Brian E.]

passenger side upper ball joint.jpg

passenger side lower ball joint.jpg


The upper and lower ball joint castle nuts have been timed and torqued properly, and as you can see in the pictures above, the cotter pins are in place but not bent because:

1. BOTH the upper and lower ball joint castle nuts get bent as shown in the AIM.
   
   QUESTIONS:
   Do the cotter pins for the upper ball joint castle nuts get bent as shown in the AIM?
   Do the cotter pins for the lower ball joint castle nuts get bent as shown in the AIM?
   AIM-rear.jpg

1. pin.jpg

Thanks for helping me to learn more about this subject.
Brian

[Brian E.]

Re: proper installation of the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle

Let me explain why I'm confused... When looking at the judging guide (most recent iteration) I see and read the following pieces of information:

JG text.jpg

Ball Joints... Ball joints taper down without threads at the lower end of the shaft that are secured to the bottom boss of the spindle using natural castle nuts and cotter pins that are not bent down, rather, when place into the pre-alignment device at the factory, they were bent upward to follow the contour of the attaching hardware. [ C 7-1 ]

PXL_20210314_181059140.jpg
[ C 7-1 ]


Is it safe to presume that the paragraph highlighted above in yellow is talking about the cotter pin for ONLY the lower ball joint?


Picture [ C 7-1 ] doesn't show how the legs of the cotter pin for the lower ball joint are bent, but I presume that they are bent upward (toward the upper ball joint)???




PXL_20210314_181106299.jpg
Picture [ C 7-2 ] on the other hand shows quite clearly how the legs of the cotter pin for the upper ball joint are bent but this picture completely conflicts with the text circled in yellow above from the Judging Guide.




If I had to interpret the information in the AIM and the judging guide and make a decision how to bend the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle nuts, I'd say that both legs of the cotter pins should be bent away from the ends of the spindle and therefore over the adjacent surface of the castle nut.



Am I interpreting this information correctly? Or do you bend the legs of the upper ball joint cotter pins differently than you bend the legs of the lower ball joint cotter pins?

[Brian E.]

Re: proper installation of the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle

to the top again.

thanks.

[Gary S.]

Re: proper installation of the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle

67--Both legs of cotter pin against side of the nut for upper and lower ball joint. Like this picture of a survivor car. Ugly but gives the best strength to hold the nut too. However, I have lots of pictures of survivor cars that show this was not always followed....some have only one leg against the side of the nut, some have one up and one down to the tip of the ball joint shaft. Some are just sticking straight thru with a little spread. Always best to comply with judging manual unless a major issue or know it is wrong. You might want to view this other thread:


https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?67740-ball-joint-nuts-and-cotter-pins&highlight=ball+joint+pins



BallJointBrakeSheild67Orig copy.JPG

[Edward J.]

Re: proper installation of the cotter pins for the upper and lower ball joint castle

I have had some original ball joints bent down. As Gary says he has had them both ways. But if it was me do it as the JM says. That way your safe.