I just finished up replacing all four ball joints on my 2002 F150...right now everything (upper control arms, ball joint nuts and tie rod end nuts) is just hand tightened. It seem like I read somewhere that the tires are supposed to be on the ground when torqing the nuts...anyone know? Thanks for the help.

 

This guy says put the truck on the ground before tightening the control arm bolts.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/36...f-150-4x4.html

I got the parts to do this to my truck, just need to find time ... How did the repair go for you?

 

The job wasn't that bad with the ball joint press I rented from AutoZone. The upper complete control arms were easy to put in, but the lowers went in a little better after being in the freezer for awhile. Thanks for the help.

 

I've never done front end work before, but this seems like a pretty straightforward job. One of the few good things about living in California is that your 10 yr old truck can be completely rust free, so I'm not expecting things to be corroded together too bad.

 

Go ahead and torque everything now. The tires being on/off doesn't matter at all. After the tires are on and you ride a lil bit then recheck everything again. When you go get an alignment, the shop will loosen and adjust what is needed.