i pulled my suspension apart to have it sandblasted and need to replace the lower balljoints while they are out of the car. can anyone tell me how these come out?

thanks

andy

sounds like you have the engine out. if you do, then you will need a spring compressor and insert it inside the shock hole and attach it to the spring and compress it down. make sure the spring is firmly attached to the clamps and use a chain around it for extra safety. once compressed then you need a pickle fork and a large hammer to separate the ball juion from the arm. make sure the fork fits but not too tightly and the nut and pin are removed. pound the fork in and soon the ball joint will separate thats it. just be sure to secure the spring safely. good luck.

68 400 h.o 4 speed to go !!!

just be sure to secure the spring safely

Repeated for emphasis...

Andy, search for a few other posts on this topic that will explain the procedure of compressing the springs. Just make sure you have a good spring compressor, I bought a cheap one and it let go...luckily I had the chain as a safety backup. I then proceded to use the ready rod and plate method, but whatever you do BE CAREFUL and safe and it will go OK

Andy,

If I read your question correctly, you already have the suspension out and need to know how to remomve the lower ball joints. I recommend you take them to a reputable machine shop and have the pressed out.

Take your lower control arms, have them stripped/cleaned, and then paint them. Be sure and tape off the hole for the lower ball joint so when you take them back to the machine shop to have new joints pressed in you don't chip the new paint.

Tom

Tom, the reason for how you read it is that you read it. I, too, would take the arms to a shop and have the old balls pressed out, and new ones pressed in.

If you are a complete 'do-it-yourselfer' then get your propane torch out and gently heat the A-Arm trying not to heat the ball joint housing. Once you have the A-Arm at 'fully expanded' due to the heat, they fall right out with a tap of the BFH.

lol on the bfh. i indeed do have the suspension torn apart down to the frame and am in the process of replacing all the hardware. if they are a press in/out design ill take them to work as i work at a fab shop and the maintenance guys have a press. tahnks for the info everyone!!

andy

Hey Andy,
You better try tapping on it a little before you give it to the pro's. I've seen them fall right out. In fact, I've seen someone jack up their car and the spring pressure will push them out. Then you have to tack weld them to get them to stay in.

The $29.95 front end service kit that Harbor Freight sells will extract and install ball joints without damage from a big hammer or a torch. It's hard work with that tool but it will do the job.



It's best not to hammer on these parts so you don't wallow out the mounting hole of the lower control arm. As far as falling through that hole from wear when you jack the car up, that story pegged my BS meter.



There's a huge shoulder on the lower ball joint. This shoulder supports the weight of the car. The press fit of the ball joint prevents the ball joint from moving during cornering. There is no way it's going to fall through a worn out LCA hole, car jacked up or not.... That hole could get worn and causing dangerous handling from ball joint movement but I don't see any way the shoulder of the ball joint would ever pass through the hole in the LCA. Camels pass through a needle eye more easily.

I love it. With a BS meter and pics and all! Obviously you are very certain that you have caught me in a whopper. On the net, it's nearly impossible to convince someone of something with just a line of BS. So I usually carry back-up. What would even come close to convincing you that I was on the level? How about a picture. A picture of a ball joint that had pushed out. It was not only pushed out and pushed back in. It was then tack welded. Just like my BS story. It's all good and I'm still laughing at your pics.

As you can see, the shoulder is on the outside with spring pressure holding it in the pocket. The weight of the car can overcome spring pressure and the ball joint can pop out if you jack in the wrong place. This one came out while the car was being lifted on a hoist. The tack weld is hard to see. If you are still skeptical, I can take a pic of the otherside of the ball joint where the tack is more noticeable. Think about the geometry of it. When the weight of the car is on it's wheels the ball joint is being forced into the hole. If you lift the car by the control arm the ball joint is being forced out of the hole. Do you really think I would make something like that up?

Ah, now I see what you're saying. I can't see it in your photo, but I think I understand what you're saying. It all make sense now. That's why jacks are not to be placed under the LCA. Yeah, I've probably done that myself too, more time's than I'll admit too. It seems like an easy way to get at the brakes. If you put the jack under the LCA, it puts undue stress on the press fit connection to hold the entire front end weight of the car.

Ford service CD notes say "do not lift by the lower control arms". I never understood why. Now I get the picture. Put the jack directly under the ball joint and don't lift at a corner of the LCA where load transfers through the press fit connection.

Here's the Ford Service note for Panther Chassis who's front end construction is essentially the same. (Don't laugh, I'm old enough to enjoy driving a motorized couch)




I learned something new. This forum is great!

This happened at the local Tuffy shop. I guess they don't follow the factory safety procedures when lifting your car. LOL They did tack weld the ball joint for free though. You know what they say, "Now that's a Tuffy". The guy that works there is a wizard at bending exhaust pipe. Does everybodies duals around the area for $200. A custom bend around that convertible x brace so it doesn't rattle is possible only at Tuffy in this area.

Well, honestly I have never seen such a note in the Pontiac manual warning against lifting by the A-arm. The manual only tells you the safe lifting points. But the Panther is built exactly the same way and they warn against lifting at the a-arms. I asked folks a few years back why not? The answers were BS, such as "car would be unstable".

I've always done it that way (lifted at the control arms) on quite a few indentically contructed vehicles. Maybe some ball joints were threaded in. Now we have the answer. Don't lift by the a-arm because the weight transfers back through the press-fit ball joint connection and that can pull the ball joint back out of the arm.

So, I retract the BS meter. I ascribe the obervation/problem to incorrect but a very common service procedure. The problem is not well documented. In fact, I don't ever recall reading such a warning in any Chilton's either.

I've lifted at this point many times on other cars. I won't do it again unless the jack is directly beneath the ball joint.