Hey everyone, I have been searching through the forum and wasn't able to find something.

I am installing the upper ball joints on a 68, the instructions say that the ball joint, rubber sleeve and thin metal cover should all be installed from the top.

I tried that and it won't fit, is it ok to install the rubber and thin metal cover from the bottom?

Also, I had to drill out the holes to fit the bolts that came with the new ball joint, will that cause any problems?

Thanks for everyone's time and help, this forum has been a great help and sorry if I am asking a question that has already been answered, but had no luck in the search :)

yes, they should fit through the top. the original holes were for rivets, which are smaller in diameter than the typical replacement ball joint that requires a nut-and-bolt installation. you'll have to drill them out to make the bolts fit.

John, how do I get the thin metal cover to fit through the main ball joint hole, it doesn't go! Do I need to widen out the big hole?I tried to press it in, but it started to really distort the thin metal piece.

Good to hear that no big deal with the bolts, after I drilled them out, they fit perfect!

Thanks for your help

i've never had one that didn't fit (double check the part numbers), but i'm sure someone else will chime in...

All the ones that Ive done that are seperate have the boot/sleeve installed from underneath, the ball joint from the top.

Some are one piece IIRC.

what kind of ball joints are you using?
i used Moog when i did my Nova, and everything fit without any modifications at all. the grade 8 1/4" bolts that came with them fit right into the 1/4" holes in the upper arm with the boot and sleeve going on from the bottom side.
however, my cousin used some imported crap that came with a cheap kit on his 69 Camaro, and the holes in the upper arms all had to be drilled out for the slightly larger metric hardware, and the big big studs that go thru the spindle needed a washer under the metric nut to get the metric nut to tighten down. the lower bal joints didn't seem to have as much of an interference fit as they should, either.
the tie rods also didn't thread into the Hotchkis adjuster sleeves he wanted to use, but the stock tie rods fit fine.

The ball joint boot can be placed over the base once the ball joints are in place. I've done it.

Jim