knuckle

[Budweis]

any advice on how to get the steering arm off the knuckle? i took the three nuts off and beat on it in a vice till vice tore loose with 5 lb sledge. if i hit much more i know im going to break the knuckle. i understand it has conical washers but i dont see any way to get it off. also any tips on lower balljoints? guess need a long rod to beat them out from inside? or are these suppose to be pressed out? also do the new ball joints have to be pressed in or do you beat them in? any advice appreciated as a one day job turning into month long job.

[JIMs70GMC]

I had to heat mine w/ a torch. And whacked every now and then and the cone washers popped loose, then the steering arm freed up. But still had to hit it w/ a hammer to get it off the studs.

[Budweis]

yeah no torch so guess just gonna have to take some where. man i dont know how you do it jim i been almost 6 months trying to get this lift kit on and just hit problem after problem, now they sent wrong spring bushings and cant get the radiator support bushings i guess as been waiting 5 months from chevy duty and still dont have them and they keep saying on back order. at the rate im going maybe in ten years i might be able to drive it but then again i might not finish it as already so discouraged bout ready to try to sell it. just cant get parts for nothing. now having issues with power steering brackets as well since new engine has long water pump. got the brackets but of course nothing fits like always. i spent 9000.00 so far and still got hunk junk. anybody got a knuckle for sale with no steering arm attached? sounds like easier route to take.

[JIMs70GMC]

Buy a little propane bottle that comes with the torch end cost like $20 at autozone. Just heat the steering arm.

[Blazer1970]

Hit it hard from the side in the area where the studs go through. What you are trying to do is slightly deform the holes in the arm so that the tapered inserts will pop loose. This method works with all tapered attachments like ball joints, tie rod ends and drag links also. Use a big hammer. You do not need heat.

[JIMs70GMC]

Tim, I had struck mine with a 2.5 lb hammer for weeks while I was rebuilding the front end and only one washer popped loose. when it came time for the ball joints and w/ the knuckle off the axle I hit it for a couple days w/ an 8lb sledge hammer still nothing. But when I heated it up with a propane torch and had my neighbor strike it every now(w/ a hammer) and then after about 30 minutes of heating and hitting the last 2 washers popped and I still had to pry to get the arm off. 33 years will do that. My 1985 K5 arm popped off after about 3 hits and that was in 1993.

[Budweis]

ok i got a propane torch thought you were saying a cutting torch.ill try that today. if i get the arm off i notice new arm doesnt come with conical washers, you re-use these? also can you tell me if the new ball joints have to be pressed in or not? to me looks like the do since they got knurling on them.

[drink2mny]

If there not to damaged you can reuse the washers.Otherwise you should be able to get them at a parts store. If you need parts numbers let me know.
As for balljoints you will need them pressed.

Hope thats some help.

[Budweis]

ok went through this before when needed stuff pressed. no machine shop here will do it as they say only do engines. i found a place to press out spring bushings which was only place that would do it but they charged me 60.00, i just called them and they said 55.00 to press in ball joints. having grown up in st louis i remember this usually costing like 5-10 dollars. have prices went up this much or they trying to scam me since they know no one else will do it? looks like i dont have much of a choice either way.

[wildwood]

Most of the parts stores here in Calgary will lend a tool to do this for free if you buy the ball joint(s) there. You just have to leave a refundable deposit or credit card number. Hopefully the same can be done in your area.

[ljbear]

That may not be that bad a price when you start looking at hourly rates. I have a press and did my own, it was at least an hour pressing the old out, and putting the new ones in.

[Budweis]

well i just spent the last 4 hours with a torch on that arm beating crap out of it and it just wont budge. finally torch overheated and started shooting out flames where attaches to tank. i got the knuckle so banged up now im doubtful its even usable. not sure what im gonna do now as just bought these ones to switch over to disc brakes and flat tops. knuckles must not be normal as i weigh 240 and was swinging hammer as hard as i could for hours, has big indentions in the thing for hammer blows. its just now gonna come off less i can cut it off. will a cut off saw cut that thing off you think? if i mess up studs that hold arm on how hard are those to replace?

[JIMs70GMC]

Holy crap! My steering arm came with replacement washers. You were heating the steering arm? You don't want to hit the knuckle. The studs can be replaced but I've never done it myself. I would try the heat again. As for the press I rented a ball joint tool from autozone.

[Budweis]

hit knuckle as no way to hold it in vice with all the studs sticking out of it. only thing i could find to hold it by is the arm. i tried putting knuckle in vice but its so awkward it kept slipping out. i was using a board between knuckle to hit for long time but finally started whacking knuckle as nothing seems to work. dont matter much now its not gonna come off it appears without cutting. im gonna throw it it in the car and drive up and see if maybe it can be pressed off with ball joints. if not guess im gonna have to locate a new knuckle maybe. anybody know anywhere that sells just drivers side knuckle?

[Yukon Jack]

You have the knuckle off with the steering arm attached? If that is so, you will have a hard time separating them. I got the steering arm off my 70 K5 pretty easy, just a few hits with the hand sledge but the one I pulled off a 78 K20 took a beating with a fullsize sledge before I could get it to seperate. Ended up bending the studs - they aren't much fun to remove either. Got one out with vice grips but will have to weld on nuts to break the other ones free. From my experience steering arms come off easy or very difficult not much inbetween.

[Budweis]

yeah have it off the vehicle, gave up now and took it to a shop and told them to give me a call before go over 150.00

[Dean]

I don't think a propane torch would get it anywhere near hot enough. I had to heat both of mine up with a real torch and use the big hammer a lot. I had to reuse the washers with the Skyjacker kits.

[Budweis]

place i took it to just called they got it off and all 4 new balljoints pressed in and i only owe them 42.50, lol im very happy feel like celebrating

[Yukon Jack]

That was money well spent.

[JIMs70GMC]

That's awesome for $42. Dean, All I had was a propane torch, it took about 30 minutes. My neighbor w/ the "real' torch was out of town. he would have let me use it in a heart beat.

[Budweis]

while im at it heres another question i had. there are screw in sleeves in the upper balljoints and was wondering if these are just screwed in and centered or if these are for some type of adjustment. i have two manuals but neither says anything about them.

[JIMs70GMC]

First snug-up the lower ball joint, then you need a special socket(http://www.partsmikeparts.com/ball_j...uster_tool.htm) and torque it(sleeve) down to 50 ft-lbs, then tighten the bottom ball joint to 80 ft-lbs then put the upper nut on and tighten it too like 120 ft-lbs. I'll check the directions that came with my ball joints this afternoon, anybody else verify my numbers, this is off the top of my head.

[Budweis]

oh man say your kidding i want to get this done in next few days lol now i got to wait another month to get a tool? does anyone have a work around to do without tool? wonder if i can get one of these at o reilly?

[drink2mny]

Here we go big guy.
bottom ball joint 80 ft lbs
Spanner sleeve 50 ft lbs
top ball joint 100 lbs..

You will need to get a spanner socket.
The problem is they are not readily available at local auto stores.
Matco, Snap-On, and Mac are usually the only places to get these.
Maybe get luck with a local shop might let you rent it

If you lived a little closer we would let you borrow ours..

[Budweis]

ok thanks for info guys. just called o reilly here and they say have spanner socket so gonna go pick it up. today i need to get my axle u-joints on too, hopefully those will go good