Never messed with front end suspension components.

Have the stock setup on there now.

Would like step by step instructions to R&R the upper control arms & ball joints.

I know there has to be more to it than unbolt & rebolt. Do I need any special tools to get the ball joints off? Do I need anything fancy to compress springs?

Some tips & "don't make this mistake" tips would be great. Want to change the front end stuff over the holiday weekend. Just changing front uppers, ball joints & adding sway bar to the front end.

Upper joints are pretty much unbolt and replace.
Remove the tire, sway bar link bolt and shock absorber.
Place floor jack under lower control about the coil spring pad/cup and lift. This will keep the weight on the spring.
Remove the ball joint cotter key and unscrew the nut.
Use prickle fork to separate the joint from the spindle.
Remove the two nuts on the frame pad, keep track of the shims per bolt.
Pull out the upper control arm.
Drill out the four rivets securing the joint to the arm.
Bolt new joint into place, bolt heads on top.
Reassemble in reverse.

If new arms don't come with cross shaft bolt, the bolt used to hold in the top of the UCA, remember those shims?, you'll have to drill out the rubber on the bushings, and pull out the cross shaft bolt and clean up the ends to fit into the new bushings. Use a good silicone grease for the bushings and don't tighen too tight on the uca bolts until the weight is back on the ground. Then, don't tighten them too tight.

What's a "prickel fork"?

My bad, pickle fork, ball joint separator.

See here: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1740

Just be very careful around a coil spring under load. Make sure it's well supported. They can do a lot of damage to you or your car if released suddenly.

No need to remove shock to remove upper control arm. I would support car on jack stands with the stand out near the lower ball joint.

Jeff