G50 Front and rear ball joints

[SanCarlosQ45]

Hey everyone!

Just did the front ball joint replacement using the Z32 ball joint and seats. Wow what a difference that made. Not even the adj. upper control arms and solid tension rod bushings made this much difference. The steering is stiffer at when its centered and throughout the range.

Here is what I ended up using:
2x Moog K9819 ball joints (90-96 300zx)
2x Nissan Lower ball seat PN: 40173-33P00

I rented the ball joint tool from oreilly, its the same as every other auto parts place. The problem is it doesnt come with the correct size receiving tube which meant I had to find something that would work. Ended up using a 2" copper end cap(plumbing) from Home Cheapo which worked but is mangled after doing both sides. I also got a 2" galvanized threaded union/junction piece that's the same size. You just need something that has an overall outer diameter of between 2.062" and 2.25" with a wall thickness <3/16".

Installation was fairly straightforward and should be considered over replacement of the control arms. I spent a total of $85 including the copper end-cap which is much cheaper and should last. My bushing looks and feels very good so I don't need to replace it.

I am currently researching rear ball joint replacements and so far I have found that a 1989 Sentra ball joint may work; not sure if they use the front or rear one though. This apparently works for the 300zx NA, not the turbo because that has HICAS. Since my car doesn't have HICAS this may work. I will need to look at one and take some measurements to see.

[Q451990]

Awesome info. Thanks for letting us know!

Heath

[Turbon8er]

soooo glad you posted this. i need to replace mine and bounced around online, wondering how much hair i was about to pull out, before i found a reasonable option. Thank you. SanCarlosQ45 > Rogaine

[SanCarlosQ45]

Your welcome! Saves about $250 a side. If you would like I can post links to the copper end cap I used or the galvanized piece.

These moog ball joints come with a much bigger castle nut which is nice as the original is not a castle nut. Make sure you use the original washer that was on there. Torque it to around 80 lb-ft.

I will post what I find out about the rear joint replacement. The ball joints are around $10 plus the same ball joint seat as the front, so I guess about $35 for both sides. The control arms I think are around $150 a piece. Those bushings have little to no rubber and shouldn't go bad for awhile.

[SanCarlosQ45]

Okay so it looks like for the rear the B12(1989) front ball joints will work, which should work for cars with hicas as well; you need the ball joint to move freely. The great thing is they are $8.60 a piece plus the ~$15 for the Z32 ball joint seats(listed first post). I will probably order these sometime in the next week or so and install after finals in early June.

You will probably need an impact wrench for the ball joint press. I used the corded electric one from harbor freight. I gotta say that's been one of the best things I bought for working on the car. I can post a walk-through with diagrams if people want it. Sorry I didn't have time to take pictures, I had to drive back to Santa Cruz the next day.

Part#: Moog K9633

[BCC93QT]

You can get the nismo bushings for about 15$ too. Cost me about $120 a side both upper and lower about 5 years ago.

[SanCarlosQ45]

Those are hard to find now. I got a kit for the entire rear knuckles about 3 years ago, but it seems no one has them anymore. These are nismo bushings.

[BCC93QT]

Currently in need of a front lower BJ. There are NO moog BJs available. No nismo bushings. Mevotech has K9819. No experience with these.

This seems the best route
https://conceptzperformance.com/spd-czp ... _17003.php
CZP OEM Replacement Front Lower Control Arm Ball Joint - Nissan 300ZX Z32
Manufacturer: SPD
Product #
K9819
In stock