i have the cheap 99 dollar hydraulic press from harbor freight. every single ball joint and bushing i've thrown at it, it pops them apart in just a few seconds. very easy. a shop press is worthwhile investment for any diy'er.

My guess is that you have not used your HF hydraulic press on a W123 lower ball joint yet. You will be in for a rude awakening when you do.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

If your press is tall enough you can use the Installation Tool Below; there is a thread on it.
It is 100+ dollars now but much cheper than the Klann Tool.
It also comes with a big Punch to remove the Ball Joint.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Is it a straight line from the top of the spindle to the centerline of the joint? It appears that the joint is recessed slightly and you'd need some type of "C" to get in there????

I am not sure but I think this is the thread on the JTC-1849 Ball Joint installer and some other related tools. Anyway it is what I had in my Notes.

Write up - Ball Joints & Lower Control Arm Bushings & Tool Review (PICS!)

there might be 2 threads
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=179284&highlight=JTC

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

The pic of the tool you posted looks like it has a cutout in the long tube to clear the bend in the spindle. It does not appear it will be able to get a straight shot of the BJ flange due to the angle of the bend in the spindle. I would like to see some pics of the tool with the spindle/BJ setup in a hydraulic press.

I considered making a (knock in BJ) punch with a long 2" dia. pipe with a cutout and determined it was not possible to get a straight shot due to the bend in the spindle.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Please post your results if you try my red-neck lower ball joint removal method. I understand some ball joints are tougher to knock out than others depending on how much rust is in there. This one came from a 83 240D with 221K, east coast car which had structural rust, sent to the scrappers but the lower BJ was not that badly rusted in. I did wire brush the seams to get some penetrating oil in there and I am sure that helped. What really worked well was how solidly the knuckle was supported by the earth. I did not swing the hammer all that hard, maybe 30% of max that I am capable of. I took a series of small strikes that produced movement. I recall (about 2 years ago), just propping the knuckle upright in a corner and striking with all my might which produced zero results. The knuckle would just bounce and land on the ground.

I would suggest burying it deeper than in this pic, where the earth was dry. Don't forget a plate (or a rock that won't crack) to spread out the load. I used this method again in the same hole (same depth) the next day after it had rained and while it still worked ok, was shifting off center with each hammer strike.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

The JTC Tool Works; there is a very good thread on it by one of our Members and a nice pictorial in the Axle section of the DIY.

It does indeed have a cut out and that is what allows it to go on straight.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I was taking a closer look at funola's pic and looking at the knocked out Ball Joint.
Does it look like the area of that particular Ball Joint is shorter than some of the others?

Or is it an optical delusion.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I'll measure old and new and let you know. Do you have the p/n of the Autozone press handy so I can call first before going?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Found it! Autozone ball joint press press #27023

OEM/Ball joint/U-Joint press set (27023) | | AutoZone.com

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I have a Harbor Freight C-press (got it on sale) and a PitBull C-press (eBay) and when I was looking at them I also got one from Autozone (I never did know what the Number was) to compare them.

All of the Presses had similar dimensions and the parts interchanged.
The C Frame of the Harbor Freight one did not seem to have as good of Steel as the other 2 and the casting of the Plates was cruder.

I could not use the Autozoneone because someone had buggerd up the opening.

On all of them the area where the Threaded Rod goes is rather sloppy. That does not help with lining things up.

I have noticed since I bought mine several years ago the Price has gone up considerably.

The OEM Tools I have seen and used from Autozone (Made in Taiwan) seem to be of a better quality then the China (PRC) ones.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You can call it red-neck if you like, but I appreciate the ingenuity and creativity. I'd have wrapped the knuckle end in a plastic bag before burying it so I wouldn't have the extra cleaning (a nod to my laziness) but that was a good idea.
Kudos.

I pounded old one out which was not hard at all + with the use of a vise + small peice of 2" pipe pounded the new one in which was harder then removing old one and should have removed boot before installing because tore the boot a little on installation still should last for yrs.

Thanks! I did write:

"wrapped the knuckle in old jeans cloth and buried it in the hole"

I considered using plastic bags but chose old jeans instead since it is tougher against sand and rocks on the upper ball joint taper. The jeans worked fine.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked