Ball joints

I've heard this a couple times about the bolts being different lengths, but no one says anything about different part numbers. I ordered the bolts with a washer because I have the protector and all the bolts are the same length.

 

Too busy right now (playing Death Stranding) but if you look through the 2 or 3 parts numbers available for our truck, some come with bolts.

 

SLC?

Are you THE Kurt Williams?!

 

Yea the 2 different part numbers are for either a flanged head bolt or a bolt with washer. But when you order one or the other they all come the same length. I have not changed my joints out yet, waiting for warmer weather but I ordered mine from Toyota parts deal and they were all the same length.

 

I know what you're saying man. All of the bolts through all the years (besides those 2 longer ones with the washer(one part#, 2 bolts)) will work on any of them.
To make life easiest and it seems the logically strongest way to have the bolts securing the ball joint is with the flanged head bolt. No spacers involved (like the rubber cover things) and simplest strongest setup. I didn't come up with this info, I just found it on here from one of the dudes that knows his shiz, I verified the numbers and parts were correct and through it in my sig line. That's what I'll use when I need to do my lower ball joints.
But it's okay to continue to use the boots you ordered and the dust boot thing. There's nothing wrong with that. It's when we start mixing in the longer bolt in the wrong place and so forth

 

But it was said 2 of the bolts we're longer than the other 2. Wich ones longer. The inside 2 or the outside.

 

Ohhhh no, far from it. Ive wheeled with him a few times in Moab and the local cruiser club. He's a really cool dude. Awesome seeing his little business out of his garage turn into a big shop and full service fab and build. He knows his stuff and is way helpful, he's on here from time to time as well. I think his handle here is cruiseroutfit...

 

I dunno, the spot where they can go all the way through would be the longer ones I'd think. The enclosed hole would take the shorter one I would believe as people have bottomed out bolts on that enclosed hole

 

Ok now with that said I ordered the bolts for the joint with the boot. They sent bolts all the same length. The only other part number is for a flanged bolt. What's the shorter bolt ?

 

So if I ordered the flange bolts I'd get 4 short and 4 longer. With the washer there it was a pack of 10 the same length. Sorry for all the questions.

 

That info I don't have off hand, and I'd have to do some digging. I assumed it was two different length of non flanged washered bolt. I could definitely be wrong on that. Could've been bolts bottomed out because dude wasn't reusing the rubber thing with spacers. You follow me? Hard to explain this stuff sometimes for me on the internets

 

Lol I know what you mean by the explaining it's hard being not face to face. But so far I know there is 2 different part numbers for the bolts. Ones flanged and one has a washer. If you have the protector you need the ones with washers. If you don't have the protector then you need a flanged. I've read that each joint needs two different lengths bolts, because two of the holes are blind and the other two go all the way thru. But so far I've yet to find 2 different lengths bolts with the washers, or 2 different length flanged bolts. I know everyone says to ditch the protector and just use the flanged bolts, but if I do that I have the feeling I'd still get a pack of flanged bolts all the same length.

 

I hope they are all the same length..I'm working in a gravel driveway so it'd suck if it broke and I had to drill it out. I noticed you have an 03 as well, did you keep the protector or did you ditch it?

 

Following for updates...

 

I prefer to keep the protectors, never know if you might drive over something (small rock, for instance) that might jump up and knick the boot. Once the boot is torn you pretty much have no choice but to replace the entire lower ball joint again. I've had CV axle boots get torn by an object hitting them

 

PUYALLUP had a halfoffship discount code that I used when I bought a set of CV axles. That brought the total price lower than any other at the time.

 

So you are using the captive washer bolts then. Do you have 2 different lengths of bolts, or are they the same length. Lol I know I'm sounding like a broken record but high noon was the only one who asked the dealer and they even sound skeptical.

 

My bolts are all the same length, double checked last time I did the install. The ones that came out were all the same length (those were installed by Toyota) and the new ones I got were the same length

 

Thanks that makes me feel better. The truck is fairly new to me so this is the first time I'm changing them. I replaced the shocks last fall and they were original with 200k miles, so I'm assuming the ball joints are original as well is the only reason I'm changing them.

 

Oh I sheered one of my new ones too lol. Talk about a stomach drop. Was the last one of the 4 bolts, just about hit 59 ft/lbs and the fucker snapped in half. It was one of the ones that doesn't go all the way through the spindle, too.

Luckily the broken half came out easily with a thin pair of needle nose pliers, but still. No idea why it happened, the rest of the new bolts all went on just fine. I figured it must have been a bad bolt I guess. I ended up reusing the best looking one of my old bolts and it's been fine since, was probably 10k miles ago.