After a day and a half of pounding on the steering knuckles to get the lower ball joints loose, I went to Sears and bought their multi purpose separator tool. By the time I got my 30 gallon air compressor to fill, I got the 2 lower ball joints, and all the front steering components apart. (A good 10 minutes) Right tool for the right job....man it felt good. I even tried that trick in the Haynes manual but that didnt work.
BTW, the whole front suspension is off the truck and the back end (box and suspension) has been off for a month now. Next to come off is the cab, the engine and the front sheetmetal.
I'm getting there
Jay