At the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs, I'll continue to document the ball joint replacement process. Hopefully it will be of help to somebody. I want to write it up for my own record.
I first have to say that if like me you suffer from any kind of debilitating health issue, be aware that this job will test you. I'm in all sorts of pain already from this!
My first job was to unbolt the drop links from the axle mounts. I want to take the entire torsion bar assembly off of the vehicle so that I can refurbish it, fit new drop links, new mounting bushes, and a new dust cover on the ACE ram. Rather predictably, after struggling to undo the nuts on the drop links (I managed to get so far while using a spanner in the lipped mounting bracket while holding the drop link threaded taper with a torx bit), I resorted to cutting the nuts off with my angle grinder and cutting disc. The 2 bolts securing the torsion bar brackets came off without a problem, and the entire assembly was dropped to the floor.
cool betta tanks
This should be a fairly quick and straightforward job but somehow, it took several hours.
Next up is to remove the brake caliper, rotor disc, and back plate...
I wasted a lot of time on this trying to work out how I managed to remove the 2 caliper bolts with a 12 point 13mm socket. It was a while ago that I had the front caliper off and hadn't remembered that the the front bolts are 19mm and it's the rears that have the 13mm bolts. Doh! I thought I was going mad! I found the old cheap 12 point socket set I had stashed away in my garage and retrieved the 19mm socket. With a suitable extension and my breaker bar, the bolts were quickly undone.
I should point out that I spend time wire brushing the nuts and bolt threads getting them as clean as I can and then soaking with penetrating oil. This usually works well enough to enable cracking them off and getting them free.
...then it's remove the hub compete with the drive shaft
Getting closer now to the main act. The steering link and tie rod ball joints were both undone and the tapers freed. I find that the taper is easily dealt with by using the 2 hammer method to break the taper; hold a lump hammer against the yoke and give it a good clout the opposite side with a hammer. So far this has worked for me every time so I don't have one of those ball joint taper release tools in my kit.
I reached the stage where I had the steering knuckle free ready to release from the two ball joints.
I found that I was able to break the top taper with the hammer trick but the bottom one was not having it, also, it's not really accessible. I used a fork to hammer and wedge apart. It took a while hammering away, but eventually the knuckle came free.
So now it was the moment of truth, am I going to be able to get those two joints out?
I had invested in a removal tool (I went for the Kennedy HD job)
Positioning the clamp in place utilizing the appropriate receiver tube is fiddly but it's important to get this set up directly in line, get it cockeyed and you'll be in trouble.
It takes a considerable force to push the joint out and I had several goes using a 1m breaker bar. I also applied heat to the yoke with a blow torch to try and expand the yoke and thus the joint housing. Eventually, it moved and then pushed out.
Now for the bottom joint. Before attempting to push it out, I first gave it a good clean with the wire brush and applied penetrating fluid again. I don't think there was much, if any, penetrating mind.
The bottom joint proved to be quite a struggle, it put up an epic fight resisting movement until I realised I'd managed to position the receiver tube on the joint lip, doh again!
Once I repositioned it came out.
That's it for this instalment, I have a lot of work to do to clean up the axle case, etc., there's also the welding to do, and then there's the other side to do.
Oh, and seems I've managed to bend the thread on the C clamp tool B%$#@*&s!!!