[T3] FW: Coil, Calipers, and Front Beam

[Jim Adney]

On 10 Jul 2011 at 20:07, Adriel Rowley wrote:

> Adney, surprised how long they can go without greasing.  So no
> fittings will be left in.  Seems like there would also be no reason to
> drill and tap those that are not already.  What is the life of a ball
> joint? 

They were drilled up to about '71, then VW discontinued that feature. 
I often relube them when I acquire a new car, but seldom afterwards. 
Most ball joints last the life of the car. I've never replaced one.

> It looks to me the first few threads are mangled, which is odd if so,
> as I am careful and hard steel.  Guess it would not hurt, right? 

They really aren't tapped, just drilled, but the drill left a bit of 
a helix, which is what you're seeing. Don't try to tap them, that 
would introduce chips into the ball joint and shorten their life.

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************