Anyone got a write up how to change the balljoints on our cars specifically or can someone just tell me?

Do i need to completely remove the A-arm to do them?

Its pretty stupid because i just had the whole front end apart but i didnt have enough money or tools to replace the front a-arm bushings and balljoints. If it requires taking the A-Arm out im gonna go ahead and wait and ill get the struts/bushings at the same time. But ya anyone give me a how-to?

 

to do just the Ball joints all ya need is
a Picklefork
a Balljoint/ujoint press (looks like a great big C clamp.).
2 jacks.
the ball joint.
put one jack under the A-arm and jack the car up.
take the wheel off
take the cotterpin out of the balljoint castle bolt
take the nut off
use picklefork to force the spindle off
use the second jack to lift the brake/spinde assembly up and off of the bolt pull it as far out of the way as possible
then take the balljoint press and useing the proper sizes of adaptors put the smalle one over the top of the balljoint and the large one over the bottom and tighten the press down. it will be a B**** to make it turn but get a breaker bar and it will come right out. install it the same as reverse but make shure you get the balljoint started in strait or you will have a heck of a time forcing it in.
the rest is just the reverse of removal. Make 100% shure you do not push on the cover on the bottom of the balljoint only the heavy metal case.

Bushings entails removeing the whole a-arm fromt the car cause they cant be pressed in with it still on. you will have to take out the spring and all that. i would say do it when changing the Ball joint cause if ya try to remove the spindle from the balljoint you will ruin the dust boot. I used a vice with different size steel piping as the adaptors to press them in but the proper way is to use a shop press.

I changed both of mine in this way and i worked fine.

 

xplane has it right, just a few tips from me:

grease the threads on the tool to keep it from galling, even if it's a rental
grease the ball joint, helps it go in. I had to use a 4' snipe, and it was HARD.

someone may say you can remove the old one with a BFH, but not unless you're Andre the giant.

It's not too tought of a job, but if you plan on doing your bushings later, there isn't a lot of point in doing that much work twice....
if you do go about these at the same time, remove the A-arm with bushings and ball joints in tact, and take it to a shop to get them to remove and replace b-joints and bushings, the hassle savings will be well worth the $$

 

That sounds like what i will probably be doing. Ill do the struts myself, then take the new bushings/balljoints with the A-arms and have the shop do it for me. I know people so it prolly wont be too costly. Bringing them parts is no big deal, but having to use there lift/time is a pain.

Thank you for the write up guys.

 

My snap on ball joint press was 500 but you can get a GOOD OTC one for cheap like 30 bucks. Its worth looking into man!