Hi guys, I just bought this car recently, and I haven't jacked it up yet to check to see if it is a bolt on ball joint or if i need to go buy/rent a ball joint press. 

If someone could tell me so I can just go get the press before I start that would be much appreciated. 


Thanks!

It isn't really either. There's a pinch bolt that holds the balljoint into the knuckle, and a taper seat with a nut that holds the balljoint into the control arm. I've never used a press to get them out, I've always just used a big prybar, swearing, hammer, and the torch...

If you live in a rusty area, it's gonna be stuck. Be really careful not to break the pinch bolt, there's no excuse to break it. If it's stuck, use penetrant, heat, and patience. Breaking the pinch bolt ruins your day.

Edited August 3, 201411 yr by 987687

awesome thanks. 

So far everything has been smooth. Took out pinch bolt too early Though before I got lower control arm off of ball joint so now I gotta figure out a way to be able to pry that off. Unless I put it back in slot put pinch bolt back in and pry off ?

The balljoint came out of the knuckle easily? DAMN, you're lucky. Yea, I'd put it back in so I could pry the other side out. When you're prying, hammering, swearing, etc leave the nut on there, just a few turns loose. You don't want it to come loose and hurt yourself... Ask me how I know about that

Pickle fork.

 

Hammer it in til the joint pops out.

I ended up just buying a tie rod end puller and it worked awesome, popped it right out... forgot to leave castle nut on end so I had a nice BANG to wake me up. 

However, now that its off, any tips as to how to have the steering wheel turned or what to pry to get the new one in? I can't seem to get the hub and the lower control arm to line up properly to insert the new ball joint.  I've tried jacking up the hub, but that just pulls it farther away from the lower control arm, so that isn't working.

P.S. I appreciate the help you guys have given me so far.

(I'm still doing this today because I left it yesterday to go on a nice motorcycle ride as the weather here was too gorgeous not to)

Sounds like as you jack, you're pulling the hub outward. Be careful not to do that too much as you can pop the axle apart.

I usually put the balljoint in the knuckle first, push the balljoint all the way inward. If you leave it sticking straight down like it comes out of the box, yea, it's hard to get in. On a lifted rig sometimes you have to use a ratchet strap or similar to pull everything inward enough to get it together. Not lifted it should go together fairly easily.

Thank you I am making sure not to do that. You'd think it would I know. This is the closest I've gotten it. Ball joint Is all the way bent and it's sitting on lower control arm about 1/4 inch from going in

Here's a picture

I got er. Thanks for the help. Now for the part I'm good at. Engine work !