I was wondering the how hard it was to change them, because i was told that by my dad that he has seen a few that required a 15ton press and lots of heat to remove them. Any adviced will be helpful.
How much would this cost at a shop just so i know how much i will be saving.
Thanx

 

is your truck 2wd or 4x4? on 4x4 its a PITA you have to take everything apart. on 2wd its not bad. the upper is easy its the whole upper control arm. on the lower you take a socket put it over the lower BJ after taking the nut off and smacking it to get it off... install is the same thing put the BJ in the whole a socket over top smack it with a hammer and it will go into place.....thats how i did my lowers didnt take to long because i got a 2WD

good luck!!

 

I did a lower ball joint on my 1998 F150 4X4. NEVER again. You have to press it out and press in the new. I didn't have a press so Iused a large socket to cover it and beat the crap out of it to remove and had to rent a puller to press back in. It was a nightmare. Ain't worth it. I honestly think I bent my lower arm slightly. Did not effect tire wear.

Note: The part that presses into lower control arm is about 3 inches in diameter and instead of being smooth it has tiny splines on the outer surface and it is TIGHT!!!!

 

Its a 4WD, hum i thinknig bout changing them cuz, my dad never did in the 130k he put on her before i have got her, and i have put 20k on and there was a few mud trips involved. I would let the local auto tech shop at school do it but it would leave with more stuff wrong then it would when it went in. How much would this cost at a dealer or a shop
$500-600ish

 

I changed the uppers and lowers in my 97. I didnt think it was to bad, but I do quite a bit of work on cars. On the lower I just beat the old ones out, and the used a floor jack and big socket to push up on the ball joint. Then just give you lower control arm a few wacks to push the ball joint in. The thing to remember is to take a piece of sandpaper and clean the hole out real good

 

If you are a cheap *** do it yourselfer than yeah its definitely worth it. If you would sooner spend the extra ~4 hours worth of labour to save yourself suffering than your better off doing it that way. To get the old ones out just use a BFH. Rent a press from outzone to press the new ones back in. Its really not that hard if you know what you are doing.

Take the wheel off
Take your brakes off
take your axle nut off (36mm)
take Tie rod off
(Could take wheel bearing off if you would like, its a good idea but not mandatory)
Take the nut off the upper ball joint and raise the upper control arm
take the nut off the bottom ball joint and take the spindle off.

Thats pretty much what you gotta do. If you have ABS you have to remove the sensor from the hub.

 

One thing that helps get the new ones in is to put them in the freezer the night before you replace them. They slide in a lot easier when they are cold!!