Replacing Ball joints

Ok I had a great idea of looking at the new part.R) So I have a better understanding of how the seat sits on the BJ. It has a slit in the seat that I guess locks into place when its pressed in or do you adjust the seat with some special tool up and down the threads?

Yeah I am about to get the power tools out.

Heck reading the manual the installation looks worse.

 

I just removed mine. I didn't have an 1 3/16 socket so I used a chisel and hammer to remove the top castle nut. The lower ball joint was held in with a 1 1/8" nut so I removed it easiley with a hammer on the end of the breaker bar. I took the spit ring off while I was at it. I threaded the upper ball joint nut back on a few threads. A couple of swings with the 3 lb hammer and it let go.

 

Oh yeah, I had been spraying these with PB Blaster for a few days.

 

notice in my write-up that the inner seat doesn't need to be removed until after the ballstuds are removed

NO

keep hitting the end of the fork with a sledge. it will separate them. THE NUT INSIDE STAYS INSIDE. otherwise, you will break the spanner wrench. you might break the spanner wrench anyway, even with the ballstuds removed.

 

No need to use a fork whatsoever! Simply hit the top of the C squarely on the side next to the ball joint with a BFH. The ball joint will pop right out.

 

depends on where you're from. i'm in the rust-producing region known as new england. the ballstuds that i removed were the origninals, and after 30+ years of new england salt roads, they weren't coming out by using the tie-rod-end smack the side trick. i tried it that way for perhaps 45 minutes. then tried for another hour or so by smacking the top of the ballstud itself, since i was going to toss them anyway. that didn't work. i borrowed the fork from a local mechanic friend, and i had them popped out on both sides in about 5 minutes. convinced me, anyway.

 

Ok got them. I got out the BFH and they fell right out. I did shoot them up with PB and let them sit all night so that might have helped out also.