For the front suspension rebuild on my '73 240Z I had purchased a pair of Meyle ball joints on e-bay. At $45 for the pair I thought it was a good deal; however, when I went to install these new ball joints I found that they don't quite fit the transverse links. :disappoin

The bolt hole pattern on the ball joint matches up fine with the bolt holes on the transverse link, but the body of the ball joint won't fit into the large round hole on the link. With the ball joint body positioned in the transverse link, I could only get one bolt to thread, the rest of the bolt holes were rotated out of position so that no other bolts could be installed (see exhibit b_4). :mad:

So, I visited the local Autozone and purchased a pair of Mcquay-Norris ball joints. They cost me $36.00 each and they fit perfectly (see exhibit b_5). The only major visible difference between the two is the size of the metal housing for the joint. The Meyle has a smaller housing with a longer "pan". The Mcquay-Norris has a larger housing with a smaller "pan". The two are shown side by side in exhibits b_1, b_2 and b_3. The Mcquay-Norris ball joint is on the left, the Meyle is on the right.

Has anyone else run into a similar issue with the Meyle balljoints, or any other brand? I thought I'd mention it for anyone else who may be considering these ball joints.

Kenny P.

I've never heard of either brand, but I am aware that not all ball joints (and tie-rod ends) are equal. Learned that the hard way too.