What size is the pinch bolts for the upper balljoints?

[93cartiertc]

I have a complete upper control arm with upper balljoint included, that was found in the trunk of a 92 cartier tc donor /junked car. It is new and hasn't been used. It has the cam nuts, but I don't have the pinch nut. Could I use a grade 8 bolt/washer of similar size and configuration? My upper control arm looks good, I am just going to use the balljoint off of the donor upper control arm. I will then pick up another upper balljoint. The donor one is a TRW product.

Best Regards

[gadget73]

just use the existing pinch bolt. new balljoints don't come with a replacement. If yours is damaged, a grade 8 of the same size should be fine. Just be sure that the bolt size is the same, otherwise it may not properly secure the upper balljoint. Not sure what it is offhand, looks about 3/8 but its more likely a metric size bolt. I had mine apart Friday but wasn't paying too close attention to it. The head on the stock bolt is square, to catch a lip on the spindle, however this isn't really critical. Standard hex head would simply require the use of a wrench to hold the bolt.

[Dereck]

Hi 93Cartier

I would recommend a new bolt from Ford as from memory I think the shank of the bolt is slightly bigger than the thread and as Gadget says it has a square head.

Check out the tech section for some ball joint help.

Regards

Dereck

[93cartiertc]

Thanks guys!