Need help with lower ball joints

[nelsonvette]

I have a 95 LT1. Went for a lineup and they say it needs lower ball joints. Thay want $600 to do the job. I got ball joints for about $150. I got a big C clamp type press from Auto Zone that is supposed to press out the ball joint.
H a s A n y o n e D o n e T h i s ??
I got the spindle loose. Do I need to lift the rotor and hub assembly up off the ball jiont so I can get the press on it?
Anyone that has done this please advise.
I'm in Arizona and its 110 degrees in my garage so I would like to get this done before the $600 begins to sound cheap.

Thanks Guys. I know I will hear something soon.

 

[LT4man]

Absolutely! You are almost 1/2 done. You will need to use the press to install the new ones also.

Good luck!

SAVE THE WAVE!

 

[nelsonvette]

Got em out and the new ones back in. The tool I was loaned from Auto Zone did the trick. It took a breaker bar with a pipe extension to press the joints out and back in. The hardest part was getting the press and the new ball joint lined up to go in straight. If anyone is thinking about doint lower ball joints themself , I would say its not a difficult job like most repairs if you have the right tools.

Thanks Guys

 

[tyrel]

Question: do you really have to remove the a-arm in order to change the lower ball joints, why can't you do it while it's on the car. I need to do this eventually and was just wondering.

 

[LT4man]

Question: do you really have to remove the a-arm in order to change the lower ball joints, why can't you do it while it's on the car. I need to do this eventually and was just wondering.

No, you do not have to remove the control arm in order to remove and install the lower ball joints. You need to move the spindle, rotor & caliper assembly enough out of the way so that the ball joint press can be used. With mechanic's wire you can secure those items so they do not interfere with you working on the ball joint.

SAVE THE WAVE!

 

[tyrel]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Chris Kennedy]

Congratulations!! What I think is going on is that replacing ball joints is one of those jobs mechanics have "sold" as something that is really different on our cars---thus the prices we see. When you get a bit more time could you send a more detailed explanation?

Thanks,

/s/ Chris Kennedy

 

[tyrel]

I agree, it doesn't look that hard really. I forgot where I saw this link, so my apologies to whomever posted it to begin with:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/11/9a/1a/0900823d80119a1a.jsp

and I found this on ebay, so the whole operation needn't be expensive if you DIY:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OTC-TOOLS-OTC7249-BALL-JOINT-PRESS-TOOL_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35625QQitemZ4647676702QQrdZ1