Green automotive ball joint with metal bolt and nut, isolated on white background

Lower Ball Joint (Heavy-Duty Adjustable) [Bus/Vanagon]

$70.00
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Green automotive ball joint with metal bolt and nut, isolated on white background
  • Green automotive ball joint with metal bolt and nut, isolated on white background
  • Heavy-duty green and black ball joint kit with retaining clip and locking nut for vehicle suspension
  • Automotive ball joint kit with green dust cover, retainer ring, nut, and grease fitting
  • Exploded view of heavy-duty automotive ball joint with labeled parts and grease boot
  • Close-up of a metal automotive electrical connector plug with green housing and locking ring
  • Close-up of metal zerk-style grease fitting on automotive part with machined black finish
  • Hand in black glove holding black automotive part, with pliers adjusting a central brass fitting
  • Black threaded automotive ball joint stud and matching socket on white background
  • Lower Ball Joint (Heavy-Duty Adjustable) [Bus/Vanagon]
Lower Ball Joint (Heavy-Duty Adjustable) [Bus/Vanagon]
Lower Ball Joint (Heavy-Duty Adjustable) [Bus/Vanagon]
Product: GVW-251-407-187
Works With: 1968-1991
Manufacturer: Gowesty
Restock ETA: February 5, 2027
Wrench Rating: Requires a full tool set and broad mechanical knowledge.
$70.00

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GoWesty Heavy Duty Lower Ball Joint (LBJ) for all Bus & Vanagon. All-steel construction, fully adjustable and greaseable. These will be the last lower ball joints you will ever have to purchase!

Features:
• Bombproof All-Steel Construction
• No-Clunk Micro-Adjustable
• Low-Profile Grease Fitting with Protective DuroGreen Dust Cap (FKM Viton)
• Heavy-Duty DuroGreen Grease Boot (HNBR)
• Lifetime Warranty - See "Warranty" tab for info

Fits:
• 1968-79 Bus (replaces 211-405-371A) - (4) Four required per vehicle,
• 1980-91 Vanagon models (2WD & 4WD) - (2) Two required per vehicle

Replacing an LBJ on a Bus, or a 2WD/4WD Vanagon is very labor-intensive. It requires the disassembly of pretty much the entire front suspension. It is so costly on the labor side that you do not want to pay a mechanic $150+/hr to do it again… and again.

That is the problem with all the other ball joints on the market: hit one decent-sized pothole and clunk clunk clunk goes your suspension. The relatively soft cap and malleable plastic internal parts can only take one good hit—and that’s it. It probably won’t completely fail (although that can happen, too), but the noise that ensues is maddening. That's why we came up with the GoWesty all-steel lower ball joint.

There is nothing soft or malleable about this ball joint. It can take hit after hit after hit without a whisper of a clunk. Tried and true over thousands of miles running the NORRA Mexican 1000, these LBJs are virtually indestructible. Plus, these ball joints are greaseable, too. Grab a Right-Angle Grease Gun Nozzle for easier access to the low-profile grease fitting (required for Syncro) or simply replace the provided low-profile grease fitting with a standard zerk fitting (included). Refer to the PDF instructions.

Service Interval: We recommend greasing these ball joints every 3500-5000 miles. Doing this when you change your oil is a great way to remember!

Important: Do not over-torque the nut! Factory spec is only 74 ft-lbs. Never use impact tools to tighten the nut.

Critical Note: The pins (the part the big nut screws onto) on these all-metal ball joints are much harder than the regular ball joints. This makes them very wear-resistant but also makes them more sensitive to over-torquing. It is never a good idea to use an impact wrench to tighten any ball joint, but it is especially important not to do that to these ball joints. DO NOT USE AN IMPACT WRENCH to tighten these lower ball joints. You can use an impact to get the pin taper to seat (stop spinning), but once the pin stops spinning: STOP and use a torque wrench to tighten them the rest of the way to 74 ft-lb factory specification.
  • 5 stars: 5 (63%)
  • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (13%)
  • 2 stars: 2 (25%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
J
JoeyP

Nice outside the box thinking. Looking forward to how well these hold up. Better fit than some stock type units.

JoeyP review photo JoeyP review photo JoeyP review photo
J
Jim V.
Lower ball joint install

Installed as expected, especially nice with GW tool.
Seems great quality but I do wonder about waterproof ability with the green neoprene adjustment cover (coated it all with Fluid Film).
The snap ring was a little tricky with the wider width portion so ya have to think it thru.

J
Joel S.
Not suitable for a synchro

I've attempted to install these ball joints on an 86 syncro Vanagon. They are TOO close to the axle boot. The dust cover touches the boot. Not good. They also have to be adjusted every 3-5k according to instructions. Requires disassembly the front end. Not good. I waited to long to install these to return them.

Hi Joel, thanks for your recent feedback. We now offer a low-profile dust cap for those joints, so there is no interference with the CV joint body and boot. Also, the joints do not require adjustment every 3-5k, just checking for play and greasing. Both standard maintenance checks can be quickly and easily performed with the joints installed. No need for any front-end disassembly. If you haven't yet returned them, I encourage you to give them another chance. All the best, GoWesty.

S
Stephen D.
False advertising

I ordered these heavy duty lower ball joints in August. They did not come with the HNBR grease boots. The LBJ is advertised with a Heavy Duty Duro Grren grease boots. Gowesty did not offer to make things right when I contacted them. I could return them and pay the shipping. For their mistakes

D
David G.
Lower ball joint

10-fold increase in driving quality after installing these!

M
Matthew B.
Finally, a good balljoint!

I am doing a complete "frame-off" restoration of my 1987 2WD Westfalia with Subaru conversion and had been looking for excellent quality parts for it. I had bought another brand of ball joint a few years ago, after exhaustive research, in anticipation of doing the restoration. I was never really happy with that choice, but it seemed to be the best of a few mediocre choices. Now that this ball joint is available, I bought it as soon as I saw it. I look forward to installing these in my "soon to be", restored Westfalia.

J
John S.
Great For Now

As I was fighting to installing the extra wide circle clip I was telling my son how impressive the ball joint is. He pointed out that most ball joints go bad because the rubber boot gets a hole in it. He is absolutely correct, and the lifetime warrantee doesn't cover the boot, nor is there a replacement boot available. If I had to do it over I would save some money and just purchase the regular ball joint.

Hi John, the beauty of our HD ball joint is that it does not have any plastic inside. All original and aftermarket reproductions have internal plastic that deforms and introduces play. With regards to the Vanagon, lower ball joints typically never fail - even with tremendous amounts of dirt getting inside. They simply get loose and sloppy, but they don't fail. Our all-metal joints are easily disassembled, cleaned, re-greased, and are fully adjustable to remove play. Original-style lower ball joints are sealed and unservicable. We are absolutely confident you'll appreciate the upgrade in the long run.

E
Erick D.
Resistant

This is a high quality product. Huge difference After installation and proper alignment. I highly suggest to replace all suspension bushings at once ( for better performance)