upper ball joints

[pwood]

G'day everyone i have just replaced all the ball joints on my 1984 K5 and discovered that it is impossible to get to the grease nipple on the top ball joints.

Whats the go, i can only think that these are the wrong ones and they should be pre greased sealed ones, i got them through LMC trucks part list.

Thanks for any replies

[crashz]

Had the same thing many years ago with a K25. I greased the ball joints and then used a plug for the grease fitting. I don't know how long it lasted because the truck was junked shortly after that, due to major rust issues.

LMC has a great selection of hard to find reproduction parts, but in all honesty, I'm not crazy about the quality of some of the parts. I've ordered a lot from them lately for my 1987 GMC dump truck and for my 2004 GMC pickup and the parts always have a fitment issue as well as quality problems.

[Subzilla]

Mine are a pain to get to. IIRC, they have to be installed in just the right location which seems like it's toward the rear but turned like 45 degrees toward the middle of the vehicle (that's intended to be a guess, not an exact number). I still have to turn the front wheels to move the grease joint enough to expose it. Then it's still a pain to keep the grease gun attached as there is very little clearance.

Turn your steering wheel and see if they come into view.

[DennisG01]

Would something like this work? I honestly don't know as I can't completely picture (in my head) the area.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Autotec-90-degree-grease-gun-coupler/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=987795

http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Lubrication-5883-Slotted-Coupler/dp/B000G76OMA

[ngodline12]

i had that too and i replaced my nipples with 45 degree ones with washers under them so they tightened pointing the right way. i think i even had to grind a washer flatways to get it the right thickness. i still have to turn the wheels to expose the nipple but it works.