Doing my spindles. How do you get the lower control arm ball joint off? Slammed the bitch with a hammer and no luck. I only tried this because I did not have the pulley style ball joint remover recommended by belltech.
So I want to finish tonight. I was planning on going to autozone and picking up one of those pulley style ball joint removers. Just want to make sure that is the right thing to get or if there is any other techniques you guys use?

I have to replace the upper control arm ball joint already because I damage the thread and can not get the nut back on!
This drop is getting expensive(bought a 60 gallon compressor and all the air tools a little boy could want so I could do this myself) so I want to limit my “mistake fund” usage.

 

A large hammer will take them out of the control arm. I use a ball joint press to put back in though.

 

[edit - pickle fork not appropriate for our application per Belltech and Pitstain]

If you are trying to remove and replace the lower ball joints in the control arm, and intend on re-using the joint, then using a hammer to remove a ball joint is about the worst possible idea. Even if the threads survive, the joint may well be pounded out of round. This may be acceptable if you are throwing away the removed joint, but I still see no reason not to use a press.

I have no idea about any "pulley style" remover. This is what you want to remove and replace a ball joint from a control arm:



Tip: if you bought an impact wrench with your compressor, it will make short work of the job.

I have removed mine using something nearly identical to that pictured above. I assume that it will also work to replace them. If not, I have a 6-ton shop press that I'm dying to have a reason to use.

 

if you want to get the stock spindle to release from the ball joint you use a pitman arm puller. thats whats in the ford service dvd and it is what i just used this past weekend.

 

 

Went to autozone and picked up the pitman arm puller and it came off with no issue. Going to napa today and buying all moog parts so I guess I have to pick up the press too.
Thanks for the advice.

Now how do I get the ball joint nut to tighten without spinning the bolt?

 

it's a tapered seat once it gets a lil tight it wont spin.