How to Replace Upper Ball Joints on your VW Beetle BuG

[@classicvwbugs]

Hey Guys, Quick tip here on installing upper ball joints on your Classic Vintage VW Beetle Bug, Ghia, Thing, Type 2, Type 3 Etc Pops drops some language in this video, so just a heads up.

[@vayabroder729]

Now worries Chris! It’s a guy’s thing, you know? Sort of like The Three Stooges….😂🤣

[@classicvwbugs]

@@vayabroder729 haha yeah, for sure!

[@claudiaandthomasruhl7753]

How to replace the Ball Joints: Just go to your nearest machine shop. What a great advice!! Thanks a lot. And now I watch another video to see how its done

[@donk.johnson7346]

Chris I have to tell you a story about the ball joints on my 67 bug. In 1983 I was camping in Yosemite, and driving home I drove through those canyons like a at of of hell. Some of the drops were almost a mile deep to the river. Nice drive. The next day I was driving in San Francisco for some reason. I made a left turn and my left front ball joint broke and the wheel collapsed into the wheel well, and made me make a sharp left turn into the curb. Somebody up there likes me. If that had happened just 24 hours earlier I would not be writing this.

[@classicvwbugs]

Oh my god man, you kidding?

[@pawleymediaconsultantsllc5]

Perfect timing !! I need to do Ball Joints on my 71 Beetle. PLEASE do the Lower Ball Joints as WELL !! :)

[@MrGarcon98]

hey dad lol ,,,,i am 70 years of age ,,,,,this is how we did it ,,,,,,and it works LOL,,,,,,now the bottom one thanks guys and they are directional ball joints ,,,very important

[@vcamps88]

Do both upper and lower notches face 90 degrees to portion that goes inside of the beam? My drivers upper was facing the outer bump out of the arm so I put it back like that but now I'm curious if it was installed incorrectly.

[@rippenbug]

How did you keep track of drivers side vs. Passenger side eccentric when the machine shop took them apart?🙂

[@classicvwbugs]

there are marks on the arm that the shop has to line the new ball joint up with.

[@benkanobe7500]

Do the arms only index in one way as I noticed they were not marked before removal from the front end?

[@anoboa69]

I love the old school mechanics way of doing things…

[@brianchisnell1548]

A guy just helped me with '64 king pins. Glad that is done. Grease every time I do oil changes 'till I die!!! Hey Chris, who makes the Best window rubber??

[@vayabroder729]

West Coast Metric; they’ve been doing it for a long time and Made in the USA

[@dog01b52]

He cannot grease them, lol, the replacement have no grease fittings. I would have looked for a replacement with the zerk fitting, or maybe drilled and tapped a hole for one. Probably Just me, I like being able to grease the joints.

[@vayabroder729]

@@dog01b52 Sure thing; some people do that; tap them and add the Zerk fittings. Great idea too.

[@classicvwbugs]

WCM or get some German seals with the molded corners from any of the VW shops online.

[@brianchisnell1548]

@@vayabroder729 Thanks bud!!

[@gerardobarajas4254]

Hello, How do you fix the level of the tire?

[@chrisros6215]

Hi Chris love the videos I have been using them to help me with my 65 bug. But I have a question for you my front end is kind of messed and need to replace the sheet metal nose clip seems like the bumper was used more then once to stop the car. I just a regular guy so money is not plentiful could you recommend a company I can use that is not complete junk. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[@classicvwbugs]

You need the whole front clip or just the apron?

[@vayabroder729]

Is that the AC Industries disc brake kit? It’s what I have on my car and I love it.

[@jimstewart6145]

nice job.

[@GLMracing]

Sad to see no new grease fittings in the new ball joints, I drill and tap, just to give them a longer life. New ball joints don't even have a teaspoon of grease in them, you'd see if you remove the boots before installing the ball joints into the arms

[@martialthielen7675]

Very nice job 👍 thank you for the video.🇲🇫

[@anoboa69]

So what he did say now?😂. Pops is the best!!

[@lpz3665]

I love his dad . Wtf does it look like I'm doing. 👍

[@duffysullivan2794]

The procedure is in John Muir's book. That is where your dad learned how to do it!

[@classicvwbugs]

And yes I stated that at the end of the video.

[@duffysullivan2794]

@@classicvwbugs Oh mentioned that? I didn't catch it. I was just assuming 😊

[@paulcathey5953]

So the tip for doing this is take it to a shop?

[@steveafanador6441]

Damn those are a pain in the ass. 😮😮

[@chrisfreemesser]

Not really...I did the upper and lower ball joints on my '68 last summer and they weren't hard at all. Pressing in/out the ball joints from the arms is tricky though..a job best left to a pro

[@chrisfreemesser]

25 cents in the swear jar POPS 🤣

[@robinmoody7016]

Seriously? A machine shop?

[@daos3300]

machine shops generally have presses.