Oh my oh my...potential solution for balljoints
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bradey bunch
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:13 pm
Re: Oh my oh my...potential solution for balljoints
Is there an equivalent moog part? It may be beefier. Is there someone with a parts book or something?
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raygreenwood
- Posts: 11907
- Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:01 am
Re: Oh my oh my...potential solution for balljoints
What you are seeing in that part....and the original two versions of teh ball joint (early with an internal swaged cap and late with an all cast bodied and swaged outer lip)....are the only ones ever built for this car. To my knowledge there has never been a replacement joint built by any of the usual suspects (Moog, TRW, Kelsey Hayes etc.).
This is the only car series these parts ever fit and the total production run existed for all continents was six years. Many of these cars were off the road due to costs to repair engine and drive train before 10 years had even passed for cars available for sale on this continent. The first year in US was 1971, the last was 1974. These cars were already rare by 1981 when I got my first 411 with 55k miles on it.
The ball joints last long enough is well cared for that there was "0" demand for anything other than the baseline production spares run of this item I'm guessing. I searched high and low for spare ball joints from 1981 to 1990 before I was able to source one. It was unobtanium by the VW dealer by 1981. Not in their spares list or stocks either here or Germany. I only started finding them as large parts houses started cleaning out old inventory and putting obsolete part #'s back up for sale around 1990/1991. It was about the early 90's that VW enthusiests started looking at 411/412 and asking for parts again. By this time...everyone needed suspension parts like ball joints and centerlinks.
Every single person on this forum with a 411/412 needs ball joints whether you think so or not. My advice is to get them when you can and buy spares until we solve supply problems. The same goes for teh center link.
At least with a centerlink I can rebuild that part safely and better than factory for about $20 in parts. The ball joint is a little more iffy.
The ball joints, centerlinks and ties rod ends are the three parts that can render an otherwise good car...totally undriveable. Ray
This is the only car series these parts ever fit and the total production run existed for all continents was six years. Many of these cars were off the road due to costs to repair engine and drive train before 10 years had even passed for cars available for sale on this continent. The first year in US was 1971, the last was 1974. These cars were already rare by 1981 when I got my first 411 with 55k miles on it.
The ball joints last long enough is well cared for that there was "0" demand for anything other than the baseline production spares run of this item I'm guessing. I searched high and low for spare ball joints from 1981 to 1990 before I was able to source one. It was unobtanium by the VW dealer by 1981. Not in their spares list or stocks either here or Germany. I only started finding them as large parts houses started cleaning out old inventory and putting obsolete part #'s back up for sale around 1990/1991. It was about the early 90's that VW enthusiests started looking at 411/412 and asking for parts again. By this time...everyone needed suspension parts like ball joints and centerlinks.
Every single person on this forum with a 411/412 needs ball joints whether you think so or not. My advice is to get them when you can and buy spares until we solve supply problems. The same goes for teh center link.
At least with a centerlink I can rebuild that part safely and better than factory for about $20 in parts. The ball joint is a little more iffy.
The ball joints, centerlinks and ties rod ends are the three parts that can render an otherwise good car...totally undriveable. Ray