bad day, how much will it cost?

[hank]

got a call from my girlfriend who borrowed my truck. seems one of the front ball joints gave out while she was going down the highway. metal on metal crunching and grinding is how she described it, she felt the front end drop an inch or two.

i called a shop close to her that i trust and had it towed there. from what i know about ball joints, i'm figuring i'll need to replace all four if i replace one. having never worked on ball joints before i'm a bit unfamiliar with what it might cost.

i'm a pretty good mechanic, but usually pay if the jobs going to be too big. what do ya'll say, expensive job at the shop? or tow it home and do it myself? are the parts hard to find?

thanks for any help.