Ball socket assembly

A method of making a ball socket assembly, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a housing with an open interior;
• inserting a bearing into the open interior of the housing, the bearing having a primary contact surface which is curved and which surrounds a stud ball opening and which presents a passage with a predetermined shape, and further including diametrically opposed slots interrupting the primary contact surface;
• orienting a stud ball having a curved outer surface and diametrically opposed truncated surfaces into a predetermined orientation such that the truncated surfaces are aligned with the diametrically opposed slots of the bearing;
• guiding said truncated surfaces of the stud ball in the predetermined and aligned orientation with the diametrically opposed slots of the bearing through the passage and into the stud ball opening of the bearing;
• rotating the stud ball relative to the bearing within the stud ball opening to establish sliding contact between the curved outer surface of the stud ball with the primary contact surface of the bearing;
• inserting a shoe into said open interior of the housing, the shoe having at least one supplemental contact surface which extends into the passage of the bearing to establish sliding contact between the supplemental contact surface of the shoe and the curved outer surface of the stud ball;
• and
• biasing the at least one supplemental contact surface of the shoe against said curved outer surface of the stud ball for establishing a preload on the stud ball and for compensating for wear in the bearing and the stud ball.