Ball Joint Replacement

[dkooi]

OK Guys, I need reassurance (advice) on my thoughts of replacing my upper and lower ball joints on my 72 Chevy 1/2 ton. From what I can tell on the UPPERS, it looks like a guy can grind the rivets holding on the grease fitting "plate", pound the rivets out, and remove the ball joints. I think I've seen replacement packages that come with bolts to replace the rivets.

For the LOWERS, it appears they are pressed in. Now for this, I was thinking that I could possibly pound them out with a sledge. Or are they typically pretty tight? I want to get these out so I can take them to the powder coater without any issues. I'm sure there are guys out there who have been down this road and can tell me the DO's and DONT's of this particular job. Thanks in advance!