replacement drag link ball ferrule

[1928Pickuppain]

I need to replace the drag like balls on my 28 roadster pu and don't don't want to by new parts- send them out figure ill pick up a hollow center end mill from mcmaser-car and just bore off the ball in my bridgeport leaving the shaft, and just heat, press on and weld some round ball ferrules in place probably take me a 1/2 hour to do all 4 once set up. My only problem is i can't find any ferrules on line just replacement weld in ball studs. If i have to ill pick up some ball studs chuck them in my lathe and bore out the centers and make ferrules. It is just seems like i should be able to find them on one of the parts sites as this is how the "PROs" do them. any suggestions?

Thanks,
Derek G

[2manycars]

Call A&L Parts specialties in Canton, CT. The offer this service, and perhaps will sell you some balls. Their contact info is in the suppliers thread at the top of the forum page.

[Bob Bidonde]

Many have tried to replace the balls before, and have failed to get it right. Should you experience a failure while driving, the result can be catastrophic. This is no place to cut corners.

[CT Jack]

Bob is right on. Safety first! You obviously do not realize how much force is applied to the drag link ball.
Based on your replacement philosophy it seems like you should maybe start back at the beginning by making a batch of steel.

[100IH]

Bert's does it the same way, possibly using A&L's balls. Just got mine. The bigger task might be making the jigs to hold the arms to the table of the mill.

[1928Pickuppain]

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I'm A mecinest and a cerified welder with a mechanical engineering background I 1st know and understand forces applyed
2nd have the skill set and equipment to do this
3rd don't need a lecture about safety when as I said have a mechanical engineering degree and years of experance and can most likely make a better stronger part than others doing so commersaly

Btw I also plan to pin though and though and case harden them before polishing to prevent any future wear at this point I'll call the guys in Ct and see if I can grab some ferrules and what grade steel there using if they won't sell or the steel is not a good enogh grade I'll just mechine my own.

Thank you to all who gave advice - answer to my questions, and to all you who say leave to the "professionals" any time there is not a passing of knowledge and experance in old processes the loss of ability to do said task happens with the death of those currently practicing and lost becomes the art.

Thanks again

[Mark in MT]

I bought some 1 inch dia balls from MSC direct, they are mild like the originals, very drillable in the lathe. Less than $2.oo each

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I don't know that I would qualify as a "PRO", nor do I know how others do theirs, but I make my own, simply because we do them for other mid-30s and older marques for which other vendors don't offer that service.

As to your question, what I do know is that a hollow-end mill (-or rotary broach) will not hold the tolerance you need to shrink-fit the ball onto the shank. I do it by using a fixture that I made mounted on a rotary table to mill off the worn ball, then using a .001" interference fit the ball is heated and dropped into place. Then just place a tack weld onto the top of the shank and you are done.

With you having a ME degree, and if you have a lathe & mill that can hold tolerances to a half-thousandths, you should be good to go. Ironically, I think welding is about the least skill you will use doing these.

[1928Pickuppain]

Thanks Brent rotery tables a good idea that actually sounds like they way to go.

[wbs]

hello question- how is the weld of the end done? is a circumferential groove made in the end or both ends of the ferrule and welded 360 degrees? is a mig used or is a stick welder used? thanks

[1928Pickuppain]

Most seem to Tig them I just did mine with an arch and 6010 rods as long as you and penitate deep and clean up your welds nice I'm sure it doesn't matter what you use

[john in illinois]

Did you bevel the end of post and inside of ball?

John

[1928Pickuppain]

Yea just a small 16th bevel at the end for fill to occurs I turn my heat range down to 95ish Dident want the weld to case deformation on such a small part right now my 220 unit is down so I was using my DG gas miller trailblazer

[wbs]

hello- i looked in the msc catalog under ferrules for the ball mentioned. could not find ball. does it go by a different name or where else can i get the ball with hole in it?. thank you

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by wbs

hello- i looked in the msc catalog under ferrules for the ball mentioned. could not find ball. does it go by a different name or where else can i get the ball with hole in it?. thank you

You need to make them. I know this is one of those situations where folks want to do it themselves, but to be brutally honest it is something you do if you are well-tooled in your garage. To start with, you must be able to machine the old ball off of the steering arm yet leave a stem. I am using a Bridgeport mill and a rotary table. I suppose you could use a faceplate on a lathe, but fixturing it is going to require some skill and brainwork. Fixturing and indicating it on a rotary table is difficult enough. Next, you will need to machine the old ball off yet leave the stem concentric and at a size that you can machine the replacement ball to.

Next you can use bar stock made of cold rolled, stainless, or even tool steel however I honestly don't see that one is noticeably is better in this application providing the finish is smooth and grease is used. Drill and bore the center of the stock to .001" under the size of the stem, and then use a ball turning tool on your lathe to turn the outside to the proper spherical diameter. Once you have the ball made, heat the ball and shrink-fit it to the steering arm stem. Personally, we just use a TIG welder to fuse-weld the top in a place or two. While some may use an Arc welder or even a MIG, the edge of the ball is very thin at the top, so excessive heat would likely just melt the edge thus losing the spherical shape.

I must be honest and tell you the only reason I chose to buy some of the specialized equipment to do this is because I had some other marques (1927 Essex, '32 Chevy, '09 Maxwell, etc.) in the shop that needed the steering arms restored on them. Since the ball size was different, the only option for me was to make them. I hope this helps understand the process a little better.