US 6,550,120 B1Granted

Threaded conversion kit for replacement ball joints

AssigneeDana Corporation

InventorsGarth B. Maughan, Wayne M. Winkler, Anthony S. Szumiesz

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Abstract

An aftermarket retrofit kit is used to prepare control arm bosses of automotive suspension systems to receive new, replacement ball joints. The kit includes a special cutting tool for forming obtuse threads in the apertures of aluminum suspension system mounting bosses for replacement of spent or used steel ball joints originally pressed-fit into forged aluminum control and steering arms. Since unthreaded apertures of bosses of control and steering arm joints in which the original pressed fitted equipment ball joints may be threaded to receive the new joints, avoidance of having to replace expensive original control and steering arms is made possible by the reuse of such arm parts normally discarded. A separate alignment block is included to assure accurate piloting of the cutting tool. Threading of the control arm bosses can be done on or off of the vehicle, and separate kits are provided for upper and lower control arms.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A tool kit for converting a press-fit ball joint attachment system into a threaded ball joint attachment system, said tool kit comprising:

a) a tap having a first hardness for cutting a screw thread into an aperture having a second, softer, hardness, said tap comprising an elongate cylindrical body having an axis, said tap having a first end adapted for insertion into an unthreaded flange boss aperture, said tap having an unthreaded pilot portion at the extremity of said first end, a tapered lead-in cutting thread portion axially contiguous therewith, and a male cutting thread portion behind said lead-in portion and contiguous therewith;
said tap further comprising a second end, said second end comprising apparatus for rotating said tap within said aperture for cutting a screw thread therein;
said tap further comprising a stop ring adapted to limit advance of said tool into said aperture, said stop ring positioned intermediate said first and second ends of said tool;
and
b) an alignment block adapted to receive and to pilot said tap within said boss aperture, said block comprising an interior slotted opening adapted to be positioned over said flange boss, said alignment block further comprising an aperture adapted to be oriented along the axis of said boss aperture, said block aperture adapted to receive said tap wherein the axis of said tap becomes coincident with the axis of said block, and wherein said block aperture has a first end comprising a female threaded portion adapted for mating with said male cutting thread portion of said tap to assure proper alignment of said tap within said boss aperture.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.