# Car Nuts:  First ball-joint front suspension?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-nuts-first-ball-joint-front-suspension/76805>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 17, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-nuts-first-ball-joint-front-suspension/76805 "2001-08-17T20:39:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-nuts-first-ball-joint-front-suspension/76805/1 "2001-08-17T20:39:55Z")

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Hey, wrench-heads: Got into a discussion here at work about the origins of independent front suspension, and one guy said that the '49 Ford was the first with ball joints.

Now, I know my old '41 Plymouth had independent front suspension, but it had a kingpin-type setup.

As a Chrysler/AMC guy, I’m reluctant to concede Ford primacy in anything, but could he be right? Is the '49 Ford the first American car with ball joints? My head is spinning…

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**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-nuts-first-ball-joint-front-suspension/76805/2 "2001-08-17T20:50:42Z")

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I believe he is correct. I have an front end suspension auto catalog and I can’t find anything before the ford that lists ball joints for parts to order, so thats a likely sign.

Unless of course some other mfg from Europe or something beat for to the punch… thats a possibility but I dunno.

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**Author:** ![45ACP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/e5b9ba/32.png) [@45ACP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/45ACP)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-nuts-first-ball-joint-front-suspension/76805/3 "2001-08-17T21:19:40Z")

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This Ford fan site lists 1954 as the year Ford introduced its ball joint front suspension to the regular line, but mentions that it was introduced on the 1952 Lincoln.  
[http://www.vatoweb.com/54ford/tech.html](http://www.vatoweb.com/54ford/tech.html)

I believe another site lists TRW as the inventor, but I imagine their work was done in cooperation with Ford.