Ball joints?

[Hef5.0weisen]

Anyone ever do them with the control arms still installed? I looked at the loaner ball jont press from Autozone, but after reading the instructions it don't look like it will work. Anyone ever use it? I've done ball joints before on my BMW's in Germany, but I just got differnet control arms out of the junkyard and used a hydraulic press and sockets, then just swapped everything out, minimized the downtime.
I'm wanting to do the ball joints, tie rod ends, and install MM cc plates, then get an alignment, trying to get rid of all the squeaks and rattles up front.

The tool looks like the linked one, instructions say to to slip one of the adaptors over the threaded portionof the ball joint, but the diamter of the threaded portion is greater then the inner diamter of the adaptor. I messed around with some big sockets and such to take the place of the adaptor, just don't look like it'll work.
http://www.toolsource.com/ost/produ...9693&mscssid=NVJC3DKTTERG8HQUQ9R9M6QT0NPQ3GUC
Let me know
Thanks
Hef

 

[HISSIN50]

Hef,
I've done it but it's kind of a pain if the BJ fights you going back in. You will want an impact gun, especially if your new BJ is oversized at all. I didnt sweat doing it on the car because I figured if it didnt work, I'd just pull the A-arm and do it on a bench. I think that's the mentality you need since you can run into a nasty ball joint.

That doesnt help ya much I know. Haben Sie Glueck!

 

[94_Teal_GT]

I've used a kit similar to what Autozone loans, but with fewer attachments. I bought one from Harbor Freight for about $20.00. I found the instructions for removal to be totally incorrect. I changed my ball joints with the A-arms installed, it wasn't much of a big deal once I threw out the instructions and looked up THIS article and zoomed up the picture it all made sense. Here is a link to the necessary PHOTO. Hope this helps you as much as it did I.

 

[Hef5.0weisen]

HISSIN, Danke Schone!....I'd have no problems removing the whole arm if it came to that, just experimenting with this loaner from the local AZ, may be a little easier, or may grenade and have to go the long route anyway
Teal...that pic shows a different configuration than these instructions, I'll give it another look over later, we'll see what happens, thanks for the links, looks like it'll help

later
Hef

 

[MustangGT95]

I did mine with the ball joint press. I normally just beat the ball joints out and I used to ball joint "c-clamp" I mean press...to install them.

Works but is a pain. I have done several different kinds of cars like that. Wait till you have to change control arm bushings. Thats a major PITA.