94 Roadmaster Heavy Duty Tow Model, broken front axle?

[kelsmac]

Started my 94 Roadmaster to go bye bye. Put in reverse, began to back up. Heard big thud as if I hit a huge rock. Pulled forward a few feet and got out to look. The right (passenger) front tire was laying up against the inside fender, and the whole side (axle, A-arm?) of that front end (axle?) is dropped down, only 1/2 inch from ground. Have I lost my Roadmaster (I am original owner) forever? A-Arm or Axle or spring? Any ideas? I am an old tough woman, and know more than most women about cars, but this one has me baffled. The car ran fine the day before. If this happened on a highway would I have been toast?

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

Thankfully they are most common for this to happen when slowly backing up and turning, as it puts the most stress on it. Guarantee the lower ball joint stud snapped, or the ball ripped out of the socket from wear. It can happen on replaced ball joints, not only just old ones.

It's quite fixable.

 

[Al H.]

It's a pretty easy repair if it just need a ball joint. I'd have the rest of them checked too though. You can get all the tools you need to do it on loan from the parts store if you're mechanically inclined and want to do it yourself.🙂

The tow package cars just have some extra cooling and a different rear end ratio, nothing more heavy duty about them than any other whale wagon otherwise.
I had a lower ball joint break at speed, the tire and wheel folded under the car flat. I just slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, still steered okay on the one side. I drove the car home about a mile like that, that tire dragging did make a weird looking skid mark on the road.🙂

 

[kelsmac]

Laughing out loud at your Reply 🙂 Good read indeed, and you managed to make my anxiety about my "Deacons Car" ha-ha, it's name, abate for now. I do hope it is the Ball Joint, as my son could figure it out, shouldn't be too different from a Dodge. He is MOPAR or NO CAR 🙄 Thank you ever so much for responding to my plea, and for making my day much less err...confusing. Your wheel under car experience was hilarious. One night I exited a freeway on a loop down and under a bridge. I caught a Cone near the top, and dragged it about a quarter mile before there was a pull off spot. Ha-ha, in my Roadmaster in fact. This was out in northern Calif, but even though nobody was around, I was still horrendously embarrassed...I'll never forget it. Many Thanks...