Lower ball joint won't budge

[Tinovolpe]

Ok help me guys before I blow a gasket. I absolutely can't get the lower ball joint out of the lower control arm on my 2001 dohc Taurus. I've tried the pickle fork, wailing on the control arm with a sledge, torching it, the ball joint removal tool from harbor freight ?(stripped it). I've basically destroyed the spindle and have a new on order but a lot of good it will do me if I can't get the @#$&% old one off. Any other tricks that might work? I even tried cutting it off with a high speed grinder but can't get in far enough. If that stupid thing was welded in I could have broken the welds by now. I know the car has 179000 mile on it but this is really a joke. Please help[ before I torch this car

[shorod]

Since you mention that you stripped out the ball joint removal tool, I don't think this is the case, but I'll ask anyway.

Did you pry down on the lower control arm to see if it moves away from the spindle and ball joint? The natural resting position of the lower control arm is pretty much up where the spindle attaches. Once the ball joint is loose from the control arm you would need to pry the control arm down far enough that you can then move the spindle out of the way so the ball joint doesn't just drop right back in.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

Well here's the thing. I already have the spindle detached from the strut and CV joint because this started out as a wheel bearing replacement. But the wheel bearing was so frozen into the spindle that I damaged the spindle trying to chisel it out (it's still stuck in there). So i ordered a new spindle but I can't get the old one out because of that ball joint. The only things I haven't tried is an air chisel, and putting a steel bar under the ball joint and whaling down on the control arm to release it. Tough to do with the spindle in the way. That's why I was trying to just cut off the ball joint just to get the spindle out of the way and then see if I can get the remaing stud portion out.

[Crvett69]

if you put the bolts back in that hold the hub to the strut it would give you something to hold the hub up while you pry down on the control arm. if you still can't get it out you may need to remove the control arm with the hub and axle and take them to a machine shop to get pressed apart or replace then all with new and used parts as needed. i assume you removed the ball joint nut or through bolt as needed

[Tinovolpe]

Yes I guess I could try that. Considering how much I've wailed on this thing I'm wondering if the strut can handle the force needed to remove the ball joint. I was thinking of removing the control arm but who knows what removing those bolts will be like. I fell I'm digging a deeper and deeper hole here.

[Tinovolpe]

Alright folks, I finally got that stupid ball joint out. Had to cut it off with an angle grinder and hacksaw to get the steering knuckle out of the way see pic) and then I heated it again and sprayed some penetrating oil on it. With a friend to help I put a 8 inch steel slug under the bolt and with one of us leaning down on it to hold it in place the other one slammed down on the control arm and the bolt shot out like a bullet. Aggravating part was that the bolt and hole really weren't that corroded. What an ordeal. Taking it to the mechanic to do the other side. I've had enough of this nonsense for a while. I guess lesson learned here is to take that lower ball joint off first even though in this case that is not where I thought I was headed with this job.
Thanks for everyone's input.