I noticed my lower ball joint boots are torn real bad.......so I'm going to order some new ball joints and I noticed these on an ebay ad. What caught my eye was the description which claims they are Rare Parts diamond series. When I saw those a few years ago on the rare parts website they were like 130. each. The ebay ad is 2 for 40ish?? what do you guys think? scroll down to the compatability listing and expand.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Front-Lower-Ball-Joints-For-Ford-Thunderbird-Mercury-Voyager-2-Year-Warranty/271859962104?fits=Year%3A1957%7CMake%3AFord&epid=6022982732&hash=item3f4c1dd0f8:g:sbEAAOSw-jhT~fz8:sc:USPSPriorityFlatRateEnvelope!79110!US!-1&frcectupt=true
Not sure the pic shows the correct part.......note almost no tapered shaft showing.
I sent them an email.we'll see what/if they respond.
Thats almost hard to believe. I would contact Rare Parts and see what they say.
I actually did after I posted that. The diamond series is made in their usa shop, but he did not know where the boots were made, and they are 134. each. I told him about the ebay ad claiming to be Rare Parts, he said they had many vendors that bought large quantities, did not know about the "parts Warehouse" vendor, but when I told him the ebay price, he said "no way" other than that, he didn't seem overly concerned someone was pushing there parts using their name. He said their ball joints would be stamped with either an RP or a diamond.
The shafts on the EBAY joint look way too short, and they do not have a pic of the bottom, so if it has the stampings, they are not visible in the ebay pics.
Rich.... are you using stock stuff.I can't remember?
If you only need the rubber boots there are a lot available I'm sure you could find one that works.
I am using stock ball joints, mine came from Concorse. Boots were split for some time now, but now it's in pieces. Not sure how much, if any, damage done, but as much work as it is to get to them, I might as well replace the whole joint.
BTW, when I was talking to the rare parts guy he said "the diamond series is made right here in my shop", but then I asked him about the boots they use and he didn't have a clue where they were made! Kinda makes one pucker if putting out 270 bucks for a pair of ball joints.......and then might as well do the top joints while everything is apart, and check the brake shoes, and and...but that's after I get the engine replacement done.
I'm actually kinda enjoying this, it's got me back to "what'll I do when I get this car finished" thinking. I'm sick, I know.
I just realized my redundancy, sorry
I have noticed how fragile boots have become. I'm wondering if boots are coming from some really, really old inventory or are just another off-shore POS. The boots are NOT seals. They reduce dirt and water infiltration and slow grease leakage. I would not discard a serviceable joint just for a damaged or missing boot. You don't Baja, you're not a mudder, farmer, or heavy construction service vehicle. I would service more regular.
Gary is spot on. Keep them well greased and they will out live you.....
Well Gary, you do occasionally have good news, lol. Thanks for the ditto, Bill. I just assumed if the boot was damaged/not there, the ball joint would rapidly deteriorate.
I had a boot (dust shield) come apart. I bought replacement ones made of poly. Can't remember if upper or lower.
Just saw set of four on Amazon for $10.
I would use the poly ones too if I needed them, some of the off road suppliers have them also. The MOOG ball joints I used I had bought back in the 70's and the rubber was still like new, I'm sure most made today are off shore rubber and crap.
https://www.suspension.com/universal-dust-boots.asp
If your ball joints are tight, reuse them Rich ! Those cheap aftermarket ones are horrible. I bought a full set for like $150 (4pcs) but none of them fit. I would have had to grind the A arms for clearance. Useless to mention that I would never do that, and even less so now all my Del Rio suspension is blasted, all edges and corners smoothed, radiused and freshly powdercoated. will reuse my good used ball joints and trying to find quality replacement boots.
This is the reply I got from the Ebay seller
New message from: partsw-inc Top Rated Seller(101,360RedShooting Star)
Hi,
Thank you for contacting us, our apologies for the inconvenience. Would you please be able to provide us with your vehicle full information (year, make, model, trim, engine size, 2WD or 4WD) so we can check for compatibility?
The pictures are of the actual parts but we have some other manufacturers available for the same parts, All these parts are high-quality aftermarket replacements engineered in the USA and manufactured in China that meet and exceed OEM specifications.
My reply to them was.............You are advertising these as Rare Parts Diamond Series. Per Rare Parts, all diamond series are made "right here in my own shop". Yours are made in China........so which is it? made in China or Rare Parts Diamond series?
As expected, no response to that.
Rich, this is something I was told a few years back and I have know way to confirm how true it is. I was told Rare Parts bought the old Moog tooling and then later sent the manufacturing of the parts to China. I don't know what the Diamond Series is compared to the others?