My balljoints are making me crazy!!!!!

[russellmarling]

It all started when I decided to do the ECE disc brake conversion. I broke a pickle fork trying separate the original 35 year old balljoints from my spindles. 1 pickle fork and hours of beating the crap out of my original spindles later... I separated my destroyed balljoints from the spindles. I drilled the rivets out of my upper balljoints... tried prying and beating them out for hours... and ended up removing the upper A-arms and using a hydraulic press to get them out... at this point I rented a balljoint press to do the lower balljoints because I really don't want to remove the lower A-arms. I can't make the press work- I'm not sure that it has all the parts and it seems to be too small. How do I get these stupid things out? I'm at a loss and I don't want to damage the A-arms. Please help me before I shoot my truck!!! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[hifloweore]

If the press is hydraulic, is there enough oil to make it operate.

You could always get some round pipe or sockets and press the ball joint out using a vice.

I wouldn't shoot her just yet. I've found that whatever you do it always is harder than it has to be.

[4tiresngas]

You may not want to pull the lower control arms, but ut is only four nuts on each side. I yanked mine and paid a local shop $25 to replace the ball joints...money well spent, I think.

[jp-n-mallory71]

i beat my balljoints with a 4 pound sledge hammer came right out. the guy who told me about this said he's done it with the control arm on the truck mine were off.and installed them the same way just tap lightly on the outter edge of the balljoint from the bottom side went right in