ProForged ball joint install help

[sugaryuk]

I just bought some ProForged 101-10300 upper ball joints and am having problems on the install. Do these get pressed in from above or do they simply bolt in from below? There's a metal ring which holds the rubber boot on which prevents it from being pressed in from the top-- so the other option is bolting it from below with the 4 supplied bolts, but this does not seem to be a solid enough fit for me. Am I wrong about that? Will the bolts be of sufficient strength to support the ball joints? Here's a pic of the ball joint:

[monzaaddict]

my guess is that the boot gets removed, balljoint is installed from top, boot is reinstalled.

[sugaryuk]

my guess is that the boot gets removed, balljoint is installed from top, boot is reinstalled.

The boot is non-removable as far as I can tell, it's kept on by a pressed metal band which doesn`t look like you can undue. I installed it from underneath and it seems to fit properly, just hope it stays on!

[cjbiagi]

The boot should pull off, the balljoint is installed on top of the A arm and simply bolted on. The factory ones were riveted, the upper control arm is not under as much pressure as the lower one. The bolts are perfectly fine.

[CaptainPainn]

The boot snaps on and off. It will come off. Then the balljoint goes in from the top. I had to do a small grind around the bottom of the tube to get it started, then they pressed in.

[sugaryuk]

The boot snaps on and off. It will come off. Then the balljoint goes in from the top. I had to do a small grind around the bottom of the tube to get it started, then they pressed in.

Did you actually have a Proforged 101-10300 ball joint? How did you remove the band that holds the boot on? I'm afraid to pry it off and then find it doesn't seal properly when it goes back on. Is there a special tool required to remove the band? Here's a pic of one I'm returning due to being sent a returned damaged one. It almost looks like someone tried prying the band off and ripped the boot in the process. Looks suspicious but I swear it wasn't me!!

[spencerforhire]

If you look carefully at the wire retainer, it's a spring clip. I've never had a problem popping one off with a flat screwdriver or pry bar and then pushing it back on with my fingers after it's bolted into the arm. The boot on the one in the pic looks damaged from someone trying to jam it in the control arm without taking off the boot.

[monzaaddict]

I could not find an example online of the clip removed for that particular part number but there are examples of others using the same style clip with the clip removed

[sugaryuk]

Thanks for the help guys! Much appreciated! I'll give it a shot when I get home from work tonight... I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to destroy the seal. At $42 each I don't want to be screwing it up.

I came across this instruction from Rare Parts for one of their upper ball joints : http://rareparts.com/pdf/instructions/10158-10159.pdf
It actually installs from the underside of the control arm, without the ball joint being pressed into the control arm. I thought that perhaps this one might of installed the same way.

[cjbiagi]

None of the upper balljoints are pressed in, only the lowers. The uppers are riveted on from the factory, replacements bolt on.

[sugaryuk]

None of the upper balljoints are pressed in, only the lowers. The uppers are riveted on from the factory, replacements bolt on.

Ok... I had assumed that the ball joint was a tight fit and would have to be pressed in. If that's the case, can I leave it bolted in from below or must I remove the boot and install it from the top. I've read other posts where people said they simply bolted them in, no mention of having to remove the spring clamp and boot. Sorry for the confusion.

Also, do you recommend returning the torn boot one or just seal it with silicone or some other suitable sealant? I have to return it thru Amazon and that means a trip across the border to send it and another back to pick up when new one comes. Can you reseal rips permanently?

[cjbiagi]

You should be able to get a new seal for it.

[cjbiagi]

You might be able to get a new seal for it.

[spencerforhire]

The ball joint should be installed from the top for safety; in the event of a failure of the bolts(broken from overtightening or left loose and the nuts come off), or if the upper control arm itself develops cracks or corrosion around the bolt holes, the ball joint itself will still be captured by the control arm. Mounted underneath, it could pull away and loss of steering would be the result.

[CaptainPainn]

I used Proforged 101-10300 on my car, but the boot didn't quite look like that. Mine had a solid lip around the boot which came off by prying with a flathead between the lip and the ball joint. Looked just like the one in the first picture.