Notices
1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel  
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: DP Tuner

Ball joints.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 18, 2007 | 04:35 PM
  #1  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Ball joints.

Had a long time customer come in and asked me if I wanted to work on his E-450 PSD box truck.
I looked it over and said yes.
First job I did for this truck was a set of ball joints and shocks. His were shot.
I didn't know it was that easy to work on the front end of these beasts.
And if it's that easy, I can understand why people hate to work on VW's!!! LOL.
I booked out the whole day for this one job and I was done by lunchtime.
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 04:48 PM
  #2  
NS F250's Avatar
NS F250
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 694
Likes: 0
From: SE WI
Originally Posted by Kwikkordead
Had a long time customer come in and asked me if I wanted to work on his E-450 PSD box truck.
I looked it over and said yes.
First job I did for this truck was a set of ball joints and shocks. His were shot.
I didn't know it was that easy to work on the front end of these beasts.
And if it's that easy, I can understand why people hate to work on VW's!!! LOL.
I booked out the whole day for this one job and I was done by lunchtime.
Yeah, at least something is easy to do on these trucks. Did you look under the hood?
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 05:02 PM
  #3  
littledre1's Avatar
littledre1
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
From: New Jersey
I heard that they can be a real pain if you don't have a lift or is it something that could be done in the driveway?
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 05:31 PM
  #4  
guzzle92's Avatar
guzzle92
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,797
Likes: 1
From: Northern Colorado
Time to build a bigger shop Kwik.
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 06:41 PM
  #5  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Did it without a lift. You need a ball joint press to get the job done.
Guzzle the mental wheels are turning, and I'm praying about it this weekend.
For too long I've struggled with the frustration of watching the cars that I work on go from very easy to work on to nearly impossible to get my hand into the engine compartment. I'm getting too old to want to have to deal with that sort of hassle.
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 07:16 PM
  #6  
Orezona's Avatar
Orezona
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,767
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by NS F250
Yeah, at least something is easy to do on these trucks. Did you look under the hood?
Ya Kwik, you ever seen under the hood of one these things?
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 07:20 PM
  #7  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Yeah, I did look and it's pretty tight in there. The fuel filter would be a PITA.
And absolutly no room for a 6637 air filter!
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 07:30 PM
  #8  
ron's power stroke's Avatar
ron's power stroke
Post Fiend
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 9,714
Likes: 2
From: White Mnt's,New Hampshire
did you use the red press you cut up? or was it a special press?? johnny8 and i will be doing his soon..thanks kwikk
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old May 18, 2007 | 09:21 PM
  #9  
NS F250's Avatar
NS F250
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 694
Likes: 0
From: SE WI
Originally Posted by Kwikkordead
Yeah, I did look and it's pretty tight in there. The fuel filter would be a PITA.
And absolutly no room for a 6637 air filter!
Yep, thats why I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about getting rid of the fuel bowl. 30k a year I'm in there every six months. Btw she's due for a filter and that stupid cable operated drain is stuck. It's always something.
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 11:18 PM
  #10  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Originally Posted by ron's power stoke
did you use the red press you cut up? or was it a special press?? johnny8 and i will be doing his soon..thanks kwikk
Something similar to this was used once I had the spindle assembly on the bench. There were some special adapters that I had to buy because of it being a Superduty. Without it, well, don't even try. It would be impossible or at best a royal PITA.

http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2119&page=1&#28506
 

Last edited by Kwikkordead; May 18, 2007 at 11:21 PM.
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 11:22 PM
  #11  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
And I welded that press back together, it's as good as new.
 
Reply
Old May 18, 2007 | 11:26 PM
  #12  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Originally Posted by NS F250
Yep, thats why I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about getting rid of the fuel bowl. 30k a year I'm in there every six months. Btw she's due for a filter and that stupid cable operated drain is stuck. It's always something.
Well why not mount a remote screw on flange type filter just past the fuel pump outlet? You could drop both the oil filter and the fuel filter into the same bucket when doing your maintainance.
It's pretty tight beyond the fuel pump, but you could extend the hose on the outlet side and loop it back around behind the pump and then return it to the fuel rail. There's about 18" worth of flex line between the pump and the hard line going up to the engine.
 
Reply
Old May 19, 2007 | 08:58 AM
  #13  
NS F250's Avatar
NS F250
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 694
Likes: 0
From: SE WI
Originally Posted by Kwikkordead
Well why not mount a remote screw on flange type filter just past the fuel pump outlet? You could drop both the oil filter and the fuel filter into the same bucket when doing your maintainance.
It's pretty tight beyond the fuel pump, but you could extend the hose on the outlet side and loop it back around behind the pump and then return it to the fuel rail. There's about 18" worth of flex line between the pump and the hard line going up to the engine.
My plan was to do the intank/pre pump mods with the filter and then get rid of the factory bowl, but I do not want to spend the money on a regulated return for a work truck. I talked with Dennis? at ITP diesel about the pre pump kit and he informed me that the E's have a fuel tank with a bladder inside and he does not recommend messing around inside there for fear of damaging it. So now I am just going to get a filter like you said and leave the factory one in there and replace it at maybe 30k miles.

Kwik, just curious what you charged to do the ball joints. I just had this done and I would be interested to compare what I paid. There back on topic.
 
Reply
Old May 19, 2007 | 09:22 AM
  #14  
Kwikkordead's Avatar
Kwikkordead
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Owner
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 25,090
Likes: 1,112
From: Rio Rico, AZ.
Mark and I double teamed on the truck.
He did one side and I did the other.
What I did was all four Napa ball joints with Zerk fittings.
All four shocks, Bilstien
Oil change with a Napa Gold oil filter and 4 gallon containers of Mobil 1 Delvac 5-40.
There was some extra time that I had to charge for on the shock job as the company that installed the work box set the box frame right down on top of the shock tower and we had to cut them out of there and figure out how to make the new ones work. Basically shorten the tower on the new ones.
Remove an aftermarket tachometer per the owners request.
Local dealership here quoted him $1800.00 for the ball joints alone.
He was out my door with the above work for $1725.00 including 8.9% sales tax.
 
Reply
Old May 19, 2007 | 09:38 AM
  #15  
NS F250's Avatar
NS F250
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 694
Likes: 0
From: SE WI
Local dealership here quoted him $1800.00 for the ball joints alone.

Wow, I guess I got a helluva deal at $600 for ball joints. Well hopefully I got a good deal and not a poor quality job.
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:51 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE