Ball Joints

pudgy234 said:
anybody got any tips for replacing the ball joints?.
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With the upper ball joint, you have to replace the entire control arm since the ball joint is integrated and is not a separate part. With the lower ball joint, you could replace the ball joint itself, but it is advisable to replace the complete LCA as a unit because if you ball joints are worn out, chances are so are your bushings. It's not that bad a job. As long as you have some mechanical knowledge, you should be able to do the entire job yourself. However, be absolutely sure to buy good quality parts. Made in the USA if you can. I made the mistake of rebuilding my whole front end with cheap china junk from fleabay because it was "cheaper". I ended up having to do it all over again a year later with slightly more expensive American made parts. Live and learn.
 
Yea I know about the upper control arms. It just looks like a pain in the a$$ job. I'm going to tackle it tonight. Lower control arm bushings are still tight. Just for the hell of it does the ac accumulator have to come out to get rear control arm nut off? My wrench keeps slipping and I want to put a socket on it
 
pudgy234 said:
Yea I know about the upper control arms. It just looks like a pain in the a$$ job. I'm going to tackle it tonight. Lower control arm bushings are still tight. Just for the hell of it does the ac accumulator have to come out to get rear control arm nut off? My wrench keeps slipping and I want to put a socket on it
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Those bolts are a PITA. Personally, I'd use a ratcheting box-end wrench for it. I used a wrench last time I did mine. I think the driver side rear bolt is the hardest one because the master cylinder is in the way. But you shouldn't have to remove anything. It's just tight and time consuming. I think there have been several suggestions in the past on how to make it easier but you'd have to look for them.
 
Yea I did some searching late last night and found a few tricks some people have used. I will be doing it tonight
 
For the driver side Upper control arm.. just unbolt the Master Cylinder from the booster (don't remove the lines from the master) and just push it towards the valve cover. You can get a socket down in there NO PROBLEM.

As already suggested.. get a set of Gear Wrenches.. if you've already got your mind set on doing SOME mechanical work to your car it'll be money well spent. Sears carries them BUT beware there are differences between that set and the one carried by NAPA Auto. Sears set does not punch the box end of the 10mm all the way thru on the angled head style (which is what I have) meaning you can only slip the box head on one way. Sears set cost about $60, NAPAs set cost around $80
 
soduka said:
I have no idea.

(Did I miss a joke? :p)

Just trying to find out if those service manuals are worth the price of admission.
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yea, red=Chevy; blue = Ford
---
I got my manual for about 45 on that auction site, definitely money well-spent, if you have the patience to fish through it for what you need
---EVTM manual is a plus also
 
2002WRXSTi said:
Got my last Mark VIII with a new UCA's and LCA's 89k on the clock. Went to 129k and the front end was completely shot :mad:
Mark VIII upper and lower control arms after 40,000 miles - YouTube
Could not believe how bad all the components were when I took them off.
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That's what my el cheapo china junk looked like after just one year :eek: Only difference was that my lower ball joints were almost completely siezed up. They would barely move. I have since replaced everything with made in the USA Moog parts so hopefully they'll last a little longer :D
 
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