Patent ID: 7144182

Claim:
A ball joint comprising (a) a housing defining a cylindrical recess having a receiving end and a closed retaining end; (b) a polymeric insert having a base with a cylindrical outer wall extending upward from the base, the insert having a generally spherical inner contour, the base including radial slots extending through a thickness dimension of the base, and the cylindrical outer wall being dimensioned to be insertable into the cylindrical recess of the housing through said receiving end with generally a zero clearance fit; (c) a non-deformable, cruciform insert disposed in the radial slots and supported by said closed retaining end, the non-deformable insert having an upwardly directed face with a spherical contour recessed into said face, the face of the non-deformable insert being depressed relative to the inner contour of the polymeric insert; (d) a ball stud member including a shank with a generally spherical metal ball at one end thereof and a shaft portion at an opposite end, said ball contained within and conforming to the spherical inner contour of the polymeric insert and of the non-deformable insert; and (e) a retainer ring fitted over the ball stud member and into the receiving end of the housing, the retainer ring having a spherical contour formed about an inner diameter of the retainer ring for cooperating with an upper surface portion of the spherical ball.