Tips for separating ball joints? Need help.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 5
From: Lake Villa IL
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Tips for separating ball joints? Need help.
I'm in the middle of pulling my front end apart. I can't get the ball joints to separate to save my life. I have a pickle fork, and it's working its way in there, but the damn things won't give. :mad Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 0
From: Thornton Co
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
Get a bigger hammer. Seriously. It takes quite a bit of beating to seperate ball joints. Try soaking with penetrating oil. Try heating with a propane torch. Any of these might work.
Racer
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 451
Likes: 2
From: Toronto On
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
I had an easier timie by pulling the upper and lower arms together with the spindle all as one piece.
Compress the spring or jack the lower arm, remove the bolts on the lower arm, loosen the spring and remove it.
Then, remove the mount bolts on the upper arm (wheel off, of course), and you can slide it all out together.
Having it out on the floor gives alot more room to swing the hammer or cut or torch or whatever...
Compress the spring or jack the lower arm, remove the bolts on the lower arm, loosen the spring and remove it.
Then, remove the mount bolts on the upper arm (wheel off, of course), and you can slide it all out together.
Having it out on the floor gives alot more room to swing the hammer or cut or torch or whatever...
Team Owner
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Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (frannsteve)
Get a bigger hammer. Seriously. It takes quite a bit of beating to seperate ball joints. Try soaking with penetrating oil. Try heating with a propane torch. Any of these might work.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,183
Likes: 2
From: Des Moines Iowa
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
Yep, need a 3lb. hammer at minimum, and wack the he double hockey sticks out of it. Make certain your pickle fork is not 'bottoming out' and hitting on suspension near the "U" of the pickle fork, as mine was, and I ground a little material/metal off of the pickle fork and fixed that problem.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Brazos TX
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Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (john's '81 mouse)
I agree, hit it harder. On occasion I've needed to use a 5 lb sledge. Have some fun....take out some frustrations.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 5
From: Lake Villa IL
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Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
Thanks guys. You were all right. After "F" ing with this SOB for a lot longer than I ever wanted, I finally went ape shheeeet on it. And bam. It let go. At least the top one did. I removed the rest, took it to the floor, as suggested, and then wailed some more. And bam. It all came crashing apart. Nice.
:yesnod:
:yesnod:
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,322
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From: Living in the Hartland
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
Guess you showed that ball joint who's the boss! :lol:
I do that all the time but usually it is with something that doesn't need a beating and I have to buy a new one. :bb
But it does know who's the boss when I'm done with it! :p:
I do that all the time but usually it is with something that doesn't need a beating and I have to buy a new one. :bb
But it does know who's the boss when I'm done with it! :p:
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,943
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From: Florham Park NJ Port Credit Ontario
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (joeveto)
Good Job! :smash:
Now go attack the drivers side!
Thanks for your time yesterday, and nice Vette.
Stew :cheers:
Now go attack the drivers side!
Thanks for your time yesterday, and nice Vette.
Stew :cheers:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,198
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Connecticut
Re: Tips for separating ball joints? Need help. (Stewart's74)
Save yourself a lot of aggrevation: Loosen the ball joint nuts a couple of turns, but don't remove them, top and bottom. Support the car by the frame and let the suspension hang. Take one BFH and hold it against the SIDE of the spindle. Take another BFH and severely wack the other side of the spindle. The shock combined with the spring force will pop the ball joint. That is why you need to keep the nuts on. Then use a spring compressor to compress the spring and take everything apart (carefully). Joe
