Guys,
I wrecked my car awhile back and when I slid off the road it ruined the upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends and the pitman arm. How tough is it to change all of this? I tore it all apart but I can't figure out how to remove the lower ball joint? Should I just hit the stud down and out of the control arm with a hammer? On the upper ball joint, can I just grind away the rivets then punch them out with an air chisel? Then re-install by just bolting them on tight enough to seat them? Is there any trick to the pitman arm and tie rod ends or are those pretty much just self explanatory? There's a little bleader on the pitman arm and on the ball joints, what's it for?
Thanks a million and sorry for the 20 questions,
Donnie

Easy project, get a Ball Joint Press from your local auto part store, Autozone rents them out free. Lower ball joint just hit it with a hammer to remove, upper ball joint just use a drill bit to drill out the rivets, then reinstall with the new bolts/nuts, new pitman arm probably won't have a grease fitting on it, ball joints usually come slightly grease but you should be pumping more grease into them, you need a grease gun which you can get cheap at Harborfreight.com or your local auto store will have one too, and you need grease, I recommend the Mobil 1 Red Synthetic stuff, just start pumping it into the fitting and move it around with your hand to get the grease everywhere, it will be a little touch, might use the vise to help get it greased up.
You'll also need a pitman arm puller which you can usually rent from as well. Might as well pick up that tie rod end puller at the same time!

Donnie,

Do a search here for removing the parts you want to remove. Type something like - Removing Pitman Arm. You'll get alot of answers.

Take the shocks out first. (Do not beat down on the b/j stud) To get the b/j's loose you will need a pickle fork. I had to use 2 one on top of the other and you just keep hitting it until they pop but make sure you have a chain around the spring and frame and stay to the side because the spring can come out at you. Don't remove the b/j nuts just loosen them up. If I remember right the p/arm nut is 1-1/4 it's on there with around 130ft pds. of pressure so it's going to take some leverage. Then you need a pit/arm puller to get the arm off. The bleaders as you called them are grease fittings.

Brian, seems we posted right around the same time. smile.gif

Use a tie rod puller that looks a lot like a gear puller. It has a cup end on the screw that fits over the tie rod stud and you can remove the tie rod ends wihout damage to them.
If you are going to replace the tie rod ends anyway, you can use the more common pickle fork tool, but it will damage the boots and strain the joint inside.
David

Thanks alot guys! So just rent the pitman arm and tie rod end pullers and then get a ball joint press and I should be set right? For the lower ball joint, can I just hammer it out?
Thanks again,
Donnie

If the lower ball joint is as tight as it should be, you need to press it out. Just take it to a shop once you remove the lower arms. The upper balljoint can be removed by grinding off the rivet heads and punching out the rivets. The new ones bolt in.
David

Dave-
Do I have to take the lower A-arm out to remove the ball joint?
Thanks,
Donnie

A concrete block and a 2x6 will make the job do-able without removing the lower a arm. Support the lower control arm near the ball joint with the 2x6 on top of a concrete block. Drive the ball joint out with a big hammer. Put the new ball jount in place and support it useing a 2x4 with a floor jack holding it all up. Useing a suitable piece of thick wall pipe large enough not to hit the ball joint, drive the lower a arm down on the ball joint just like you would if you had it in a press. Either that or................

John, good idea man! Will do!
Thanks,
Donnie

If you never replaced the C/arm bushings nows the time to do it. No sense in putting it back together with the old ones still in there.

Ramjam, already replaced them with poly's.
Thanks again guys,
Donnie