Hey Guys, any tool recommendations to separate spindle and ball-joint? Prefer not to use a fork, would like to press it out somehow if that is possible? I see lots of ball joint separation tools out there, but not exactly sure what or which ones would work?

 

Special tools are not required. Remove the castle nut, flip it upside-down, thread it on half way, and smack it with a big hammer...

 

Seems like that would be a lot of stress on the ball joint.

 

This is not OSHA approved but I let the springs do all the work for me.

Use a floor jack to compress the A-arm a bit. Separate brakes lines and undo the top nut of strut (basically get everything ready to come out). Unscrew the castle nut part way but don't remove (it's your backup safety catch). Then drop the jack until there is a slight air gap to A-arm. All it takes now is a whack on the side of the spindle to make the cone come loose and A-arm will drop slightly onto floor jack. Tighten castle nut by hand and it will hold everything again while you do whatever you do to remove springs.

 

It's not gonna hurt it. QwkTrip's method works too...

 

You're going to need a press when it comes time to get the ball joint out of the A-arm. I bought an Astro 7897 ball joint removal tool kit but haven't used it yet so can't comment how well it works. It can also double up as a bushing press with some minor modifications.

You can literally ruin your A-arm if you don't do this right. The hole can expand making the new ball joint fit loose. And hearing that might tempt you to take it to a shop but remember the golden rule of old car ownership: "Nobody cares about my junk more than I do." I know you're particular so probably best to invest in tools and do it yourself because you'll be more careful.

 

Sounds easy enough. Not trying to remove the spring, but...... am interested in knowing how to get it out safely and easily, and also putting it back in safely and easily. How does one accomplish that? It just sounds like a nightmare with the engine in the car...........

Didn't see your follow on post earlier, not trying to replace ball joint. They were replaced back in the day, guess I was bitching about something and had them replaced back in 1997, they have about 6K on them, lots of years, but not many miles. So not worried about that, I'm highly considering installing the factory big brake option. Have had the parts laying around forever and its high-time. Starting with the front, because don't have the diff rebuilt yet.

 

If you can change a strut then you can remove a spindle. The spindle bolts to the strut on the top side and the ball joint on the bottom side. Remove the strut and all you have to do is lift the spindle off the ball joint. (just make sure all the other little stuff is already loose like brake line, steering rod, ect.)

You want the weight of the engine in the car. Without it you wouldn't be able to cycle the A-arms up and down with a floor jack, the whole car would just lift.

Car must be on jack stands to do this job. The floor jack is just used to control A-arm swing. Floor jacks leak down over time so don't trust it to hold against the spring for hours and hours. If I'm going to walk away from the floor jack then I wedge a 6x6 block of wood under the jack or the A-arm.

 

For people with stock springs it is best to unbolt strut from spindle. Don't even need to take out the strut, just leave it hanging from the top. Make damn sure the A-arm can't move or you can be killed by the spring. That's why the safest procedure is to remove the spring first. Without the strut or spindle in place the spring has line-of-sight to come straight out at you if it slips the pocket.

For people with short aftermarket springs, it's easier to just lower the A-arm and use the strut as a grab handle. But I wouldn't recommend doing that with long springs or the springs might slip the pocket and hurt you really bad. Short springs just fall out and don't even need a spring compressor to install.

 

I still unsure about how to remove the coil spring. running WS6 springs if that matters. It seems you should use a spring compressor to compress it a bit, and then lower the a-arm down and should be able to remove from there. Some guys say use the spring compressor, unbolt the big bolts that hold the a-arm bushing, and let it fall out from there. and it sounds like getting it back it is even harder? I'm interested in the safest way to do it, not necessarily the easiest way, really, the safest way. dont like pain or emergency rooms!

 

Stock springs are very long, you'll need a spring compressor to remove and install in the saddle. And you'll pretty much have to compress it as far as you physically can.

I think the factory service manual says to drop the two pivots and leave the ball joint attached to the strut. This is probably for safety so the spindle and struts are a barrier between you and the spring. But I think it would be a royal PIA to line up the two bushings to the holes again. It's already difficult enough without a hefty spring resisting all your movements.

I work on the floor (no lift) so it's more dangerous for me to be reaching under the car with things loaded like that. There's no way I'm undoing the pivots first. I'll undo the strut instead and do a controlled descent with a floor jack.

I hate hate hate handling a compressed spring. My spring compressor is bowed from use. I won't do it any more. I have short springs for that reason. There is no worse feeling than compressing a spring outside the car because you're so vulnerable to SERIOUS injury. It's not as unnerving with the spring in the car.

 

Yeah, in the fall of last year, I removed my front springs and cut a half-coil. Reinstalling them was very stressful. One of them actually jumped out of the spring compressor while it was laying on the garage floor. Scared the #### outta me. I had to make sure to handle the spring from the sides and NOT top & bottom while positioning them in the upper pocket. Really don't wanna do it again...

 

I use one of these larger ones.
ITs like $10 from harbor freight.
20 seconds and the spindle will be free.

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Happen to know the approximate dimensions of the one you use? I'm guessing the opening will slip between the ball joint and the spindle connection point?

 

Harbor freight sells two of them. there's a small and a big one, it's just the big one.
Although I recommend buying both sizes because you can use the small size on the tie rods.

You can also rent these from like AutoZone's or O'Reilly's

 

Yes, those things are handy. I use them on steering linkages. Pops them out without all the violence of a hammer. I think the big one also fits the steering box if I remember right, so quite handy to have both sizes.

 

Ya, the Big one fits the steering box pitman arm.
If the pitman arm has been installed for 30+ years; it requires some heat to remove even with the puller.

 

Quick question. do the OE lower ball joints have zerk fittings? My '89 GTA has 184k on it and the lower ball joints have zerk fittings and do not have any slop in them.... I bought it at 124k back in 2004. Is the fact that my current ones have zerk's telling me someone changed them or they have just been kept well greased?
.

 

My ball joints were replaced at a pretty low mileage, the factories failed early. So couldn't tell you. All other factory components still intact. The ball joints used for replacement were moog problem solvers, and they have grease fittings. the were replaced back in 1992 or 3, would have to dig up records.

 

Yes, the factory parts have the fittings

 

Thanks gents. After further inspection and manipulation... my lowers are shot... 184k so no surprise. The car has lower than OE springs in it. I'm looking it over and realize the lower control arm has to come down past the point where it has any spring pressure on it, so I can get a ball joint tool in there to press the ball joint out. Like many say above... that spring is intimidating for sure.