You're kind of asking for a lot. This has been covered MANY times before. I did a search and found what I needed a few months back.

The easiest way to do it is:

1. Remove the control arms

2. Take to shop and have them changed

3. Install control arms

4. Drink a beer for a job well done

 

The processes vary greatly depending on your tools available. For the lowers, OTC makes a nice ball joint press, cost varies. Here's one on Ebay for a decent price.

Ball Joint Press

For the upper ball joints, I like to cut the rivet heads across the center with a die grinder and a 3" cutoff wheel. Then I use a heavy chisel in my air hammer to finish removing the heads. Punch the body of the rivet down with a pin punch, and remove the ball joint. The new one will bolt in. Use locktite on the threads.

When you do the job, you'll want to pull the shocks out of the car, and wrap some chain in through the shock holes. Secure the chain tight with a bolt/nut/washers. Do this at ride height. This is for your safety. Place a floor jack under the control arm, and jack it up. Remove the cotter pins, and back off the nuts on the ball joints, leaving them on with a few threads. Use a pickle fork to break them loose, one at a time. When the ball joint is loose, remove the nut, and work with the appropriate tools to remove the upper or lower joint. Replace the joint with the new one, and torque the nuts to the specified torque. Then install the cotter pin. Whatever you do, never back off the nut if the cotter pin doesn't line up with the hole. Always go to the next slot in the nut. When you're done with one side, put the wheel back on, reinstall the shock, and do the other side. When you're done with the other side, stand back with a beer and admire your job. Get an alignment asap after completing all repairs to your steering and/or suspension.

 

Need more detail.

 

http://www.chevelles.com/techref/ftecref28.html

That should guide you through the upper one, just do it on the car, if you're not doing bushings. The lower one disconnects the same way from the spindle, but you'll need the tool I showed you to get the ball joint out and the new one in.

 

Stewart,,, with all your problems handleing some of the easier and less dangerous repairs you should take this project to a shop or enlist some experenced person to help you....

 

OK, thank you; That's what i mean by detail.

But let's say i have to replace only the lower ball joint.

a) Do i even have to separate the upper?

b) Will alignment be affected?


2) The shop quoted $250, which i feel is ok, but i want to try it myself to learn. After i get done with buying all the tools, then the savings will be spliting hairs. Yea, i had problems with the "simple" stuff, but how else will you learn?

 

Ok Stewart...You can replace the lower with out messing with the upper. Just break the lower one loose and then place your jack/ jackstand under the lower arm to support it and after removing the lower nut the rest of the way just swing the spindle assy out of the way and change your joint. The alignment may be affected...if your car was aligned when the ball joint was good then chances are there wont be much change. Always a good idea to have the alignment checked anyway... another good tip is to loosen the balljoint nuts all the way so you have clean threads and then screw it back on before you break the joint loose, otherwise you may have trouble getting the nut off with the joint broken loose...

 

only tool you need is a big hammer to bust loose the ball joint, I usually just take out shock, loosen the castle nut on the ball joint, now make sure its still threaded into the nut! Because when you break the ball joint loose the nut is the only thing between you and the spring!!! I just set a floor jack about 1/2 inch under the a arm just in case, take a 3 pound sledge and hit the side of the spindle where the ball joint goes through. might take a couple of hits but it will come loose. Do not hit the threaded end of the ball joint. This works well if your trying to reuse a ball joint and don't want to tear up the rubber boot. Lower a arm swap ball joint and put her back together. Jim

 

Need more help:

I can't get the spring compressor to fit. So, is there a way to replace only the lower ball joint without a spring compressor AND while leaving the spring in? (which safety chains of course).

 

Need more help:

I can't get the spring compressor to fit. So, is there a way to replace only the lower ball joint without a spring compressor AND while leaving the spring in? (which safety chains of course).

Yes, a quality hydraulic floor jack under the lower control arm, right under the spring pocket, will work fine. Don't use one of those cheap compact ones, you'll get hurt.

 

I can press them in and out because i got the ball joint press.

What i am asking is, is it possible to change the lower ball joint a) without a spring compressor AND

b) while leaving the spring in the upper and lower pockets. In other words, i know i will need to lower the lower control arm low enough so the lower ball joint stud comes out of the spindle hole. I will then need to lower the lower control arm low enough so that the lower ball joint stud can go into the spindle hole.

WILL THE SPRING STAY IN BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER POCKETS IF I DO IT THIS WAY?


(i dunno, maybe i'm not asking the questions the right way or something?)

 

Yes, it's possible - you're nearly there.

Once you've separate the lower ball joint from the spindle, you don't need to lower anything - raise the spindle (and the upper arm, still attached) up to clear it from the ball joint and the lower arm.

As long as the weight of the car is supported by a jack under the lower arm, the spring cannot come out of either pocket.

 

Yes, it's possible - you're nearly there.

Once you've separate the lower ball joint from the spindle, you don't need to lower anything - raise the spindle (and the upper arm, still attached) up to clear it from the ball joint and the lower arm.

As long as the weight of the car is supported by a jack under the lower arm, the spring cannot come out of either pocket.

Listen to Skip, Stewart. He's done this job before. Do NOT lower the jack or the arm, raise the spindle and upper arm out of the way. You'll probably have to remove your steering tie rod ends to do this effectively. Best way to do that without damaging the boots is whacking both sides of the steering arm, where the tapered pin is going into, with two large hammers. The trick is to hit them at exactly the same moment. If you do, and do it hard enough, the tie rod end will pop right out, undamaged.

 

1) OK.

2) Do the old joints press from bottom to top ( and thus the new ones would press in top to bottom) Or do the old joints press out from top to bottom ( and thus the new ones would press in from bottom to top?)

 

The press OUT from top to bottom. A $30 Harbor Freight ball joint press works great! Looks like a big C-clamp.

 

Yeah, i got the harbor frieght press.

Let me get this straight:
The final motion for the old ball joint is downwards out of the control arm?

And the new ball joint will go upwards to be installed?


So to remove the old one, do i put the press on the stud?

 

Yes to your questions. In all I've done, I had the control arms off and beat the ball joint out with a hammer, whacking the stud. A few "smort raps" with the BFH and it pops right out. Make sure you have the stud as straight in line with the centerline of the balljoint as possible before you start pressing. It should pop out right away. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

Can't get the press on---not big enough.


Now, what?


Detail, man. I need detail.

 

Can't get the press on---not big enough.


Now, what?


Detail, man. I need detail.

The press should be big enough. You should have the threaded yoke pointing down, with a large receiver cup on the end of it, open side towards the ball joint. The top of the C clamp, with the open hole, should be on the stud of the ball joint. You have to hook the open hole on the clamp over the stud first, then install the receiver cup last. If you don't have a big enough receiver cup, the press is too small. Look into the one from OTC that I posted earlier. It's big enough. Mine is a Snap-On, will do 1 ton trucks. The OTC will too.

 

Yeah, i think, and I should have made this clear before, that this is a 1/2 ton truck. And i think that truck ball joints are a little bigger than car ball joints thus this harbor freight thing, while it is good, is too small for my application. I think what i really need is some shorter adapter tubes.

I'm going to try a gear puller.

 

OK, the steering wheel puller didn't work.

What it boils down to now is the 2.9" reciever tube is just a little too long---only about an inch or so to the point where the press just won't fit so i can press the ball out.

Any suggestions? I don't want to cut the reciever tube down unless as a last resort.

 

place a jack stand under the control arm, out towards the end...lower the control arm onto stand, take a BFH and a few good whacks will knock it out.

 

Hammer not working too well.


I need a 3" diameter reciver tube about 1" tall. Any suggestions out there?

 

Got a Checkers/Schucks/Kragen near you? I think they have what you need in their rental section. Could be wrong, but you might want to check it out.

 

No; There's no CSKs on the east coast.

I'm going to try a steel yard tommorrow and if that doesn't work, i'll trim the one i have down.

Harbor frieght has an adapter set, but none were the right size---i measured.

Somebody must know.

 

No; There's no CSKs on the east coast.

I'm going to try a steel yard tommorrow and if that doesn't work, i'll trim the one i have down.

The ball joint press should come with 3 adapter tubes and two plates for the top and bottom to press the ball joint back in.
Where on the east coast are you, if you're close to north jersey I could help you out.

 

Is all the trouble worth saving the few $$$. I'd just reasemble the damn thing and take it to the shop. They will have it done RIGHT in no time.

 

I'd have to suggest the OTC kit, like I did at first. Saving a few bucks at HF got you nowhere, for the moment. On the plus side, since you didn't pay much for the set, feel free to shorten the receiver cup they sold you. Then be ready to weld it back together so you can reinstall the joints.

 

The press you have should work. Did you follow Cameano steps exactly?

If it absolutely won't work, I'd go with Blok's advice. That ought to work for sure. You gotta whack 'em hard, but they'll come out.