Diesel truck help,

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

My dad has a friend who has a 1989 D250 with the Cummins engine. While on vacation a repair shop he went to F'd up the front suspension bad. They put 3300lb ball joints where 4000lb versions should of been. He was in a bind with a ripped ball joint. So no limping it home.

I found this out when he came over to have me look at it quickly as he thought something was still wrong, and I found the upper ball joint would not seat. A few phone calls I got some answers.

Do one of you know if the 3300lb upper a arm is the same as the 4000lb version? Just different ball joints.

How long would the 3300lb version last in a Cummins truck that he just drives around in? From my quicky research the ball joints are about the same as typical C30 versions, and people do that swap a good bit.

He is 90 years old, and is very active. He will out live me. So long-term safety is a factor. He is known to drive several hundred miles away to visit family, and participate in his hobby.

I am trying to gather ideas since we may not be able to get the 4000lb version locally, and I am not hip to trusting idiots 5 states away to know the difference. I did find a couple of places that supposedly have the right parts. So he has gone to check them out.

I checked car-part.com, ebay, and CL. Anyone know of other options as the a arms are no longer manufactured, but I can easily get him consumables.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Ziegelsteinfaust

My dad has a friend who has a 1989 D250 with the Cummins engine. While on vacation a repair shop he went to F'd up the front suspension bad. They put 3300lb ball joints where 4000lb versions should of been. He was in a bind with a ripped ball joint. So no limping it home.

I found this out when he came over to have me look at it quickly as he thought something was still wrong, and I found the upper ball joint would not seat. A few phone calls I got some answers.

Do one of you know if the 3300lb upper a arm is the same as the 4000lb version? Just different ball joints.

How long would the 3300lb version last in a Cummins truck that he just drives around in? From my quicky research the ball joints are about the same as typical C30 versions, and people do that swap a good bit.

He is 90 years old, and is very active. He will out live me. So long-term safety is a factor. He is known to drive several hundred miles away to visit family, and participate in his hobby.

I am trying to gather ideas since we may not be able to get the 4000lb version locally, and I am not hip to trusting idiots 5 states away to know the difference. I did find a couple of places that supposedly have the right parts. So he has gone to check them out.

I checked car-part.com, ebay, and CL. Anyone know of other options as the a arms are no longer manufactured, but I can easily get him consumables.

You might check with member Dieselwrencher he is pretty sharp on some of that stuff.

LockDoc

[special-K]

You need someone who knows 2wd Dodge trucks from that era. I am of no help

[biketopia]

Are they the thread in or press in? What makes you thing they used the 3k when 4k was needed, did they r&r the control arms or just the ball joints? My local NAPA shows both versions, and shows plenty of them in the distribution network

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by biketopia

Are they the thread in or press in? What makes you thing they used the 3k when 4k was needed, did they r&r the control arms or just the ball joints? My local NAPA shows both versions, and shows plenty of them in the distribution network

The bolt heads are different, and the ball joint wobbles in the spindle.

Thanks, I will check the napa