Chevette upper ball joint installation
Nothing too tricky about upper ball joint installation, matter of fact, I'm not going to delve too deeply into the subject. But, if you have too much negative camber ( the top of your front wheels are leaning IN too far ), you might be interested in the Moog replacement ball joints which have "slots" for mounting holes, allowing you to fine tune your front suspension adjustments.
The factory ball joint has provision for camber adjustment of 1° only. To do this, you must remove the ball joint, and rotate the part 180°. But what do you do if you already have WAY over 1° of negative camber, which is obvious if your front wheels are leaning in significantly ?
The Moog ball joint depicted below allows a much greater range of adjustment than the factory style can provide. As you can see, the part number is K5292.
One of my vehicles, a 1982 Diesel Chevette, had way too much negative camber. By installing these ball joints, I was able to correct the situation easily, and within minutes. I ran completely out of adjustment slot on the passenger side, but at least now my wheels are vertical. I have noticed that most Chevette's seem to suffer from this malady, and this is a cost effective, easy way of curing the situation.
Naturally, I recommend a wheel alignment after making any front end adjustments, or front end parts replacement.
( I am ignoring my own advice, and am engaging in A.B.E. { Alignment by Eye :-) The front alignment of the Chevette is pretty easy to play with, and I figure on tinkering with mine for a while. It's free to play with, and if I get tired of tinkering, I can always take it to the shop and get it done professionally. The car drives MUCH better after the ball joint installation, and making some toe-in adjustments. )