I have the auto zone ball joint press here. I can NOT get this thing to work. The c-clamp is just too small to fit around the adaptors & the black pipe. If I cut the black pipe in half, it may work, but then I would own a $99 tool.

did anyone get the auto-zone kit to work?

How else did anyone get the ball joint out and IN again??

Larry
Prepared to buy the real kentmoore tools.

 

Worked fine for me...Are you sure you've got the adapters in the right way?

 

No, he's right, the tool isn't made large enough for the dimensions of our cars. I had the same problems. I believe I managed to find a combination of the rings to get the ball joints in, actually, one was giving me so much trouble and not seating evenly I gave up and had my mechanic press it in (and he had a difficult time as well). I'm not sure if I even managed to find the right combination, as the video that PST will sell you on rebuilding the front end shows, they used a race bearing that fit the flange of the ball joint and hammered it in. If you can properly support the A-arm and rest the ball joint on its seat, then use one of the rings in the compressor kit and the seat that they use for the C-clamp, hammer down until the ball joint seats itself. Screw the C-clamp, PITA.

As far as taking them out, no press is needed, support the A-arm near the spring and take a BIG *** hammer and slam it from the spindle downward. A couple hard hits and it'll pop out.

 

Get a $200 20 ton press from harbor freight and their $40 ball joint press kit. Worked for me (good thing a friend bought the press )

 

Kind of strange, the autozone press worked fine for me too.

 

I modified the azone ball joint press by drilling the hole larger in the adaptor. now the adaptor fits over the stud. however, upon pressing it out the ball joint BALL came through the bottom of the ball joint, disintergrating the ball joint. then I had to press it out with out an adpator on top. Royal PITA. now I know what I'm doing, the next side will be easier

Larry

 

I had the exact same results as Lary Burd. I had to drill one of the adapters to fit over the stud and upon pressing the first time the joint exploded and i had to reset the tool and press the remains of the ball joint out. The tool worked O.K. once I modified it a little.