Thanks I'll give it a shot. The picture is from a set of directions provided by a fellow FTEer. I don't have any of them out.

Thanks and thanks again in advance for the questions to come while I'm in this project. These ball joints and the upgraded slide pin set are my mission this weekend.

 

Ok, my lower ball joint seperated from the cap in the nuckel when the nuckle came off. I was able to press/beat the cap out of the nucke but the lower ball and stud are still on the truck. Any ideas? I've tried a 2 claw puller and beating on the stud. The pickefork is no good because the nuckle is on my work bench.

Thanks in advance....

 

Use your ball joint press and press it out. Push from the top down. Heat it up if you to.

Don't be afraid to hurt it. That housing end is beefy.

 

Ya I'm going to try heating it up tomorrow when we get back from church. The ball joint press I rented is like a big C-clamp. The thredded shaft is too big in diameter to fit through the top hole of the housing. So I can't get it straight. My upper ball joint and lower cap of the ball joint were so rusted in there I couldn't press them out. I had to make a big drift-pin/punch out of a cold chisel to beat them out with. Oh'well it's a big job (for me) but I'm determined to get done. The money I save doing this I will be able to get an ATS housing.

Thanks for the help and have a good weekend.

 

This would be a great time to go out and get a port-a-ban. This little saw is great. With this you could cut the bottom of the ball joint off and press it out from the bottom.

Just be glad that you have another daily driver (or so I assume). When I fix stuff I am at the mercy of my wife to let me take the van!

 

Good thought. I'm doing GOOGLE searches for it with no luck. I have a SAWSALL (SP?) with some pretty good blades. Would that work? Do you have a link to the saw port-a-ban?

 

Try the sawsall first. The porta-ban has a bit more power.

Here is a link:

http://www.mytoolstore.com/porcab/725.html

 

Heres a Milwaulkee
http://www.medfordtools.com/mill%209.html

 

Wow them things are spendy.

shenders99, thant link isn't working for me. I'm trying to do a search on that site for the porta-ban

Thanks guys

 

So you think it will push out through the top also? It's freaky how it seperated. I used the fork for a little while on top and bottom. Then used the fork on the bottom at the same time as two claw puller on the top.

By the way. The 3 claw puller worked great pulling off the hub assembly after the 4 nuts on the back. What I used was actually a reversable gear puller.

 

You caught me drinking again. It can't come out the top because it is tappered. You have to press it out the bottom from the top.

You said that the screw on the press was too large to fit through the hole on the top. If the press (clamp) is hollow on the lower end and all the washers spacers are hollow as well. I would wet it up on the upper hole and get a long grade 8 bolt through the hole down through the washers to the lower ball joint bolt. This would let you press it out!

 

Ok, I'm going to go outside and stare at this thing for a while. Man I can't believe that joint came apart on me. Oh wait, yes I can.

Thanks for all you help.

 

I just uploaded some pics into my gallery of the lower ball joint stuck.

 

Get a torch and heat her up!

 

Theres got to be a way to use the ball joint press, when i did the last two sets, for two trucks at work it only took me about 3 hours a peice, usuing all impact tools obviously, but using the ball joint press and a good airgun really makes short work of this, and while the air gun is working, smack around the ball joint with a BFhammer, really makes is smooth. The ball joint tools are generally iniversal, so try some different things, the screw and could be used on the outside of the knuckle providing the adapters are there. The two trucks i did them in were a 99 and an 01. My 02 has 130k and still stockers and tight..

EDIT: guess thats the 3rd set ive done on the dana 50s, did another truck 02 vintage as well, i think the first set took me 3.5 hours? But i love axles.