ball joint vs. hammer problem

[pkj]

frame paint process starts today. cant get the p/s upper ball joint loose. have beat things to death with a 4 lb hammer. i think i am going to damage or crack something. somebody borrowed my balljoint tool and never returned it. any ideas? should i look around and buy another one? coil spring must come out, and paint start today. i need help. thanks, pkj

[NitroMike]

Pull the upper control arm (if you haven't already) and take it to a shop, Napa, or old style gas station (where they actually work on cars) and get someone to press them out for you. Wire wheel the openings and bolt the new ones in.
Save your strength for the other challenges of your project!
Good luck.

[ERASER5]

The upper ball joint is rivited in. You must cut off the rivit heads and knock the studs out. The new upper ball joint will come with bolts.

OR do you mean that you can not get the spindle separated from the ball joint stud? If so then let the spindle/A-arm assembly hang freely. Loosen, but do not remove the upper ball joint castle nut until the nut is even with stud end. Now wack the castle nut hard! The spindle should pop loose after a few good smacks and be caught by the castle nut. I would do the same process to the lower ball joint next. Then jack up the lower A-arm to relieve the spring tension, remove the castle nuts, lower the jack and lift off your spindle. Take care when popping out the springs. I use a long pry bar to keep my hands clear of the spring.

[qksilver]

auto zone and other parts places will lend the tool.
Is the suspension still together.
I usually loosen the ball joint nuts with the suspension loaded by the coil springs then beat on it.

[cdowns]

DON'T LEND TOOLS !! i'd buy another one so i knew i had it for the future

[BowTieOgre]

Originally Posted by ERASER5

The upper ball joint is rivited in.

They werent on my truck, only bolts but I guess someone could have replaced them before I got it.

I took my arms completely off the truck with some PB blaster and a good size socket wrench and breaker bar. When I got them off I placed them ball joint up on a 2x4 so the bottom of the ball joint was not touching anything. I had a 40" long piece of 1" galvanized pipe that I slipped over the joint shaft and stood on the arm while I beat the ever loving snot out of the top of the pipe with a BFH. It usually doesnt take long but you might consider hitting the joint with some heat first.