Is there a right way and a wrong way to bend the cotter pins on the ball joint castle nuts?

some folks bend the whole thing one direction, others bend the 2 part in opposite directions. from a purely functional standpoint, it really doesn't matter much as long as it can't fall out. but i always bend them in opposite directions- that's the way my grandpa always did it when i was a kid, and it rubbed off on me.

If you're trying to duplicate that factory look probably just about anything goes. But like Novaderrick said there is a proper way to do it and it is to bend them in opposite directions. What we use in aerospace is two different methods. First one the pin ends are bent in opposite directions around the outside diameter of the nut and clipped with diagonal cutters. Second way and it is the way I prefer, is to rotate the head of the pin so it running in the same plain as the bolt and draw the head of the pin completely in as far as it will go into the slot of the nut. Then bend the upper half of the pin over the top of the stud or bolt and clip it off at the bolt head, the bottom of the pin gets clipped just short enough that cut end of it will not come into contact with anything and fold it down along the bolt. I like the look and the head is more secure and the pin resists shearing more when installed this second way.

I have done hundreds of BJ replacements, and this looks the way it was done in factory
Insert cotter pin, long side up, bend long arm over top of stud, snip short pin at the nut the shorty stays straight.

Thanks for the input. I'll try bending the long side over the top of the stud and clipping the short side. This site is awsome, thanks to all of the people that participate graemlins/beers.gif graemlins/waving.gif

The camaro assembly manual has a diagram of two ways to spread the pins. But as said above, there are probably half as many ways as there were assemblers in the factory when built
Jim