Replacing Lower Ball Joints

OSUCowboy27 · 08-23-2007, 12:59 PM

I have a '90 c-1500 and need to replace the lower ball joints. How is it done? Any tricks or special tools? I have done just about everything but have never replace ball joints. Any help would be appreciated.

bamadam · 08-23-2007, 03:43 PM

I changed mine, but I have a 4X4 so it's a different animal.

Get a good manual.
Make sure you have a drill with a 90 degree head.
It is usually just as easy (if not easier) to change the top BJs while you are at it.

Good Luck

2000CAYukon · 08-23-2007, 05:18 PM

They are pressed in so you need to rent a ball joint tool. The other option is to remove the lower control arm and have a machine shop press out the old one and press in the new one.

Also, the coil spring is very powerful. I always use a spring compressor when removing/installing the spring.

//2000CAYukon

bigcoconut · 08-24-2007, 08:36 AM

Been there, done that on a 91 I used to own. Now I have to do it on my 92. I removed the lower control arm (LCA) and had a local shop press the old ones out and the new ones in, I don't remember the cost. You can remove the lower control arms with out screwing up the alignment. The upper control arms (UCA) are part of the alignment so I opted to leave them attached. You'll have to drill the rivets out from the top and the old upper BJ falls out.

When putting the LCA back on you have to torque the bolts on the frame after you drop the truck back to the ground. Put everything back on and tighten the BJ to its required torque but leave the LCA frame bolts hand tight, not torqued. When everything is bolted back on drop the truck, put the weight on the front wheels, that will get the LCA back in their ride height position then torque the frame bolts. If you torque the frame bolts while the truck is jacked up you'll start getting the sqeaking noise from the lower bushings because there not riding in there original position.

THINGS I LEARNED

1. Get a freak'in air wrench, after you compress the first spring with a socket wrench you'll know exactly what I mean.
2. Get a good drill bit for the UCA BJ's. Those rivets are freak'in hard. I heat treated the two bits I had before I went to Sears and got a good one.
3. I should have gotten the lower bushings changed out also, since I had the LCA off the truck, it would have been just as easy to get the bushings changed out also.

Good Luck...

OSUCowboy27 · 08-27-2007, 11:53 AM

Well, I got one side changed (both top an bottom) this weekend. It wasn't too bad once I figured out what I needed to do. You must have a ball joint seperator and a ball joint press (really big C clamp). The bottom ball joint was relatively easy. The top was much more difficult. I did not drill out the rivets. I torched the tops off, ground it smooth and used an air chisle to drive them out. Why did they use rivets instead of bolts? Took me about 7 hours to do that one side.

bigcoconut · 08-27-2007, 01:28 PM

$$$$ - Cheaper to rivet than torque bolts (the person on the line can screw up the torque). Then it comes down to us garage mechanics and gosh darn it I left my HD rivet gun in my other pants pocket.

Did you get the 2 bushings changed out on the LCA? Since you used the press (C-Clamp) did you have to take the LCA off?

OSUCowboy27 · 08-27-2007, 03:33 PM

I did not have to take off the LCA. I didn't even take off the caliper.

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