Need to replace upper and lower ball joints

[jsledge]

went to get the front end aligned on my 97' blazer at bell tire and they said I needed to replace the upper and lower ball joints on both sides...inner and outer ty-rods and shocks.
How hard is it to do the ball joints if I do it myself. never done it before. If it's easier to let a shop so it what is a good price.


thanks

Jim

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by jsledge

went to get the front end aligned on my 97' blazer at bell tire and they said I needed to replace the upper and lower ball joints on both sides...inner and outer ty-rods and shocks.
How hard is it to do the ball joints if I do it myself. never done it before. If it's easier to let a shop so it what is a good price.
thanks
Jim

If you've never done it, it's quite the physical job. You need to drill out 3 rivets on each joint (These are good sized rivets that are usually torched out). After you're done, you'll require a front end alignment also.
Inserting the new joints are easier, but you might want to consider letting an independant mechanic do it. The Dealer will get about $600.00 minimum to do it. Ball joint run about $50.00 apiece, add about 3 hours labor for your total charges plus the alignment.

The '97s were recalled back around 1999/2000 for faulty upper ball joints, but I think that recall expired in the states back in 2004 (had a 7yr/70k mile expiration on it). But you may want to check with your local Chevy dealer to see if the recall is still valid, and if your truck had the recall done to it.

[zachzchw]

I recently had to do all four ball joints, along with a pitman arm and an idler arm.
The ball joints were less than $20 each from autozone.

I had a shop do them, they only charged me $65. If theyve never been replaced, they will be quite difficult to get off, might want to have them done.

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by zachzchw

I recently had to do all four ball joints, along with a pitman arm and an idler arm.
The ball joints were less than $20 each from autozone.

I had a shop do them, they only charged me $65. If theyve never been replaced, they will be quite difficult to get off, might want to have them done.

That's a pretty resonable price for labor, my local mechanic charges $60/hr, and as I said, this is a 2 to 3 hour job. I stupidly paid my local Chevy Dealer $325.00- 2 hours labor @ $100.00/hr, $125 for parts- to replace my lower units when I had it in for the recall on the upper units (I'll never go to the Dealer/Stealer again)

I just checked Autozone for ball joints, they're $31.00 apiece. Napa is $50.00 to $64.00 apiece depending on top or bottom, limited lifetime gaurantee on both.

[Fractured1]

if you gave a haynes or chilton manual and all the right tools, a little time to spare you should have no problem. I used a haynes maual, followed it to a T and was done within 4 hours for both sides. then get it alligned, you should be good to go.

[BlazinMlew]

Originally Posted by Fractured1

if you gave a haynes or chilton manual and all the right tools, a little time to spare you should have no problem. I used a haynes maual, followed it to a T and was done within 4 hours for both sides. then get it alligned, you should be good to go.

This is true. Pretty good instuctions in the manual. Time consuming but if youve got the time its not a bad thing to try to save some cash.

[hunter01]

You could cut the rivets with a chisle also. Wear goggles

[joeuser742]

Yup, I cut my rivits off with a chisel. For me, it was alot easier than drilling them out. You need 2-3 bits, they wear down pretty quick. If you are changing all that stuff anyway, you might also want to change all the control arm bushings, they are probably worn and cracked; those are a real pain to get out, to do it right, you need a special tool to press them in and out. Actually you might want to see if a new upper and lower control arm comes with the bushings and ball joints, that might be the way to go if you want to do the work, it may even be a bit cheaper. Also take a look at the pitman and Idler arms, they were horrible on my truck.

[hunter01]

When I did control arm bushings on another car I had I used an air chisle to remove the old bushings, clamped the control arm in a vise and then used a "cup" tool with a sledge hammer to put the new ones in. It's also a good idea to pre-load the suspension before tightening the bolts all the way.