Thanks. I've been ebay surfimg looking at pick up trucks for my son who gets his liscense in a few months....

I will order 2 ball joints from Phil and have them installed by either my allignment shop or an Indy I know nearby.

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

ok the guide says 2.7 hours per side for the lower ball joints. and $240 labor only(not including parts). while you havbe the spindle off, make sure the upper ball joint isnt "loose" (worn out)

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

So, that's $480., labor only, for two ball lower ball joints??

I'm in the wrong business. I'm going into the lower ball joint business............4 ball joints per day..........from my garage!!!

I just did the LBJs on my SDL. $280 each +parts is a bargain.

To remove the LBJs from the steering knuckle you clamp the knuckle in a vise, and place a mandrel (a 1" socket) against the bottom of the joint and WAIL on it with a 2# sledge until the joint pops out the other side.

A defininte ZERO on the fun meter.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

i actully enjoyed doing them. not too bad of a job

__________________
have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

OK, after you have done two of them, how long will it take you to do the third one?

Assume that you have the press to R & R them while the LCA is still in the vehicle (doable with the right tool AFAIK).

I just got a quote last week for this very job on a W124 300D. The indy shop said 5.5 hrs and a total of $475. I think I am going to try it myself....

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Fantom71 aka Dale
Madison, AL

91 190E 2.6 5 speed 220k miles and this car still scoots!

To answer your question, right now I think I could do both lower ball joints on a 123 or 126 (only the joints, no LCA bushings or UCAs) in one day. For that job, the biggest help for this 'ol man would be a two post lift. The ups and downs killed my knees.

Even though I just did the job on Sybill, in discussing this in another thread I managed to become confused about what parts actually had to come out to do the ball joints (this may have been due to being under the influence of cold medication at the time).To clarify, the LCA can stay on the car if you are only doing lower ball joints but, since the ball joint is actually located in the steering knuckle, you must remove the knuckle (not all that hard, provided you have a ball joint separator to get the lower joint loose from the LCA) to R&R the ball joint. I'm not sure if you could use a press to remove the ball joint from the knuckle because of the configuration of the knuckle and the way the ball joint is recessed beneath the vertical portion of the knuckle. I say this because the FSM doesn't show a 'self made tool' or even a special MBZ fixture to remove the ball joint other than the MB mandrel (remarkably similar to a 1" socket) that you use to pound out the joint. I honestly believe that, if those Hun engineers could have removed that joint with a press or proprietary tool, they would have done it that way and it would be in the FSM.

The ball joints are pretty easy to install using the venerable Harbor Freight giant ball joint c-clamp. Remove the boot from the joint, set the joint in place and squeeze. With a little dry lube, it takes 90 seconds to push them in place.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I agree. I didn't find them all that hard. You need the right tools of course.
One of these helps a lot:


That and a pickle fork, vise, hammer, etc...

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
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Uhh, Danny. That tool won't get the ball joints off. That does the job on the joints on the tie rods and center link, but isn't going to touch the lower ball joints.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I know that. You still need it.

Danny

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

if you carefully seperate the upper balljoint from the steering knuckle you can use a hammer on the top of the old ball joint. or you could even use a deadblow hammer on the knuckle(just dont hit on the spindle)

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

Theoretically, you could grind down the ends of a regular pickle fork and use it to separate the ball joint from the LCA. I tried it and it didn't work so I bought the SirTools separator/press gizmo. It worked great the first time; on the second ball joint, I didn't quite have it square over the stud and I broke the pivot in the tool. I can still use it but you have to hold all the pieces in place while tightening it up.

I'm less and less impressed with SirTools; my spring compressor has been used maybe 6-7 times and the spring plates are bending. Not exactly what you would expect for $550 and I'm still trying to decide what to do next.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

FWIW not looking forward to this ball joint project.

I called an Indy today and he looked up the labor and called me back. 3.1 hours per side That's 6.2 hours labor; Wanted $800. for 2 ball joints.
Then you have to do the allignment; good ones are $80.

I could buy a whole other car for $800. maybe a 240D.

so hmmmm ball joints or a 240D ?????...........

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

its really easy man. try it. you will be amazed at what you accomplished

__________________
have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it