That's the upper ball joint you have circled. The whole piece is called upper control arm.

 

I got that from the chilton\online service manual . I guess the underlying question was can i just replace the upper ball joint or would I need to replace the entire upper control arm?

If it is loose, replace the upper control arm. That is what your link to napa shows.

That link shows the entire upper control arm, they also just sell the upper ball joint. Which leads me to believe I could possibly just replace the ball joint. The price of the parts arent the issue, I guess which would save more time and be more effective for the future. Logically if I just need to replace the upper ball joint and keep the existing upper control arm and steering knuckle then that sounds like the way to go, but if its recommended i should just get the entire upper control arm that comes with a new ball joint and just hook it up to the existing steering knuckle then i'll probably do that.

 

If it is loose, replace the upper control arm. That is what your link to napa shows.

 

Yes, the ball joint can be replaced. The question you have to answer is, what is the condition of the rest of the upper control arm?

 

It looks decent imo...not bent or snapped or rusted..what should i be looking for in regards to replacement?

 

I would get OEM, Moog or SPC if you plan on lowering your car. The other brands are known to fail.

 

The other part that wears out on the upper control arms are the bushings on the pieces that go into the engine compartment. They often are worn out making replacing the whole piece better. If you are able to replace only the ball joint and not have to pay someone to do it for you, then you can go that route too.

 

^That's exactly what happened to me, ball joint is fine but those damn bushings are shot to hell!

 

How do you replace a ball joint on the upper control arm that is circled in red in post #1? Looks all sealed to me.:headscrat

 

C clamp or shop press, members swap from OEM to SPC when Lowered.

 

You press them out alan. You amature lol jp. You can rent the ball joint press at advance auto

 

. You amature

You calling me an "amateur"? I'm gonna sic the grammer/spelling police
(Kevin) on you.:lol: