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I've had no troubles or problems uploading pictures to this site over the past 2 years but try as I might I could not do it now (upgraded site!: it did say 3.4MB of 1.0MB allowed was already in use). I did have an illustrative photograph to post of a correct retaining bolt beside the improv/scavenged (who knows where that came from) one that failed. Firstly that bolt was of an ordinary grade steel (ie soft enough to deform and bend), secondly it was not fine threaded and third the bolt was threaded at the point where it locks-in the ball joint groove. The threads deformed/wore away and allowed the ball joint to move, and, the bolt threads also stripped at the nut allowing it to loosen off. This could have had dangerous implications had that ball joint popped out on the highway or in a fast turn.
This is a very recent and real-life example of caution not to improvise on specific-duty nuts and bolts on a car unless you know exactly what you're doing. Chances are the correct bolt had to be torched off or broke during removal some time ago and the hurried mechanic had merely grabbed something similar out of of an assortment bin.
This is a very recent and real-life example of caution not to improvise on specific-duty nuts and bolts on a car unless you know exactly what you're doing. Chances are the correct bolt had to be torched off or broke during removal some time ago and the hurried mechanic had merely grabbed something similar out of of an assortment bin.