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  #1  
Old 06-13-2006, 07:41 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Arlington, Va
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Ball Joints, 1982 380SL

Folks,

I am about to embark on redoing my front end, which is all original. Tie rods, drag link, shocks and sub frame mounts do not really concern me, but what am I in for in replacing the ball joints?

Or would a wise man leave this the ball joints to a professional?

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  #2  
Old 06-13-2006, 09:56 PM
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Location: Battle Ground, WA
Posts: 576
Hi there,
The lower ball joints are pressed into the control arms, the top joints are riveted. The factory manual recommends against replacing the upper joints due to the problems of re-riveting, but I have read that people have bolted them in with no problems. The lower ones require a press. - a 10 ton Harbor Freight style should work fine. If you are going to the point of removing the upper and lower control arms you should replace all the bushings also. You might check out the prices on brand new replacement control arms, they already have new bushings and ball joints installed, and if you price it all out, they aren't charging TOO excessively for the arms and labor. They are available from several sources on the net.
Also, be sure to check the subframe for cracks in the metal around the lower control arm mounting tabs. I just replaced the subframe on my '82 as the rear tabs on the left side broke clear off!
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Richard Wooldridge
'01 ML320
'82 300D 4.3L V6/T700R4 conversion
'82 380SL, '86 560SL engine/trans. installed
'79 450SL, digital servo update
'75 280C
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  #3  
Old 06-13-2006, 10:13 PM
Strife's Avatar
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: KY USA
Posts: 2,238
Do you know for certain that they are bad? Unless compromised by a bad boot, they can last a very long time. The subframe mounts are, however, another story. Same with the motor mounts.
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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
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  #4  
Old 06-14-2006, 12:35 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Battle Ground, WA
Posts: 576
Hi again,
Strife makes an excellent point - my car has over 165K on it, and when I worked on it I checked the ball joints, they were all in perfect condition. I had to buy another lower control arm, from a wrecking yard, and the ball joint on it was fine also. The inner bushings were also ok. The subframe mounts came out in about three pieces each, and both motor mounts were broken... When you replace the subframe mounts, be sure to place the white plastic piece in correctly - it goes in the hole underneath the mount.
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Richard Wooldridge
'01 ML320
'82 300D 4.3L V6/T700R4 conversion
'82 380SL, '86 560SL engine/trans. installed
'79 450SL, digital servo update
'75 280C
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  #5  
Old 06-14-2006, 08:31 PM
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Location: Austin, TX
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I was able to remove and replace the ball joints in my 560SL with this tool from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335

It's not very hard at all. My boots had disintegrated and my steering was affected by the bad ball joints.
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1988 560SL Black/Palomino
1988 300SEL Black Pearl/Burgandy
1984 500SEC Anthracite Grey/Palomino
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  #6  
Old 06-14-2006, 11:33 PM
Strife's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maheath
I was able to remove and replace the ball joints in my 560SL with this tool from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335

It's not very hard at all. My boots had disintegrated and my steering was affected by the bad ball joints.
An amazing find. You actually removed them (lowers, I assume) with just this tool?

How many miles are on your car?
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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm
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  #7  
Old 06-14-2006, 11:44 PM
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Yes, using only that tool. You need to put a jack stand under the control arm because you need clearance underneath. The instructions included with the kit was wrong for one of the directions, I think it was pressing the new ball joint in. I had to flip the C-clamp 180 degrees anyway, since I didn't have enough clearance below the control arm (my jack stand was at the lowest setting).

This was about two months ago and my mileage was 122k.
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Mike Heath
1988 560SL Black/Palomino
1988 300SEL Black Pearl/Burgandy
1984 500SEC Anthracite Grey/Palomino
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  #8  
Old 06-15-2006, 12:00 AM
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Oh, and yes, they were the lower ball joints. My upper control arms don't have a replaceable ball joint. Neither the originals, nor the ones I replaced them with 2 years ago.
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Mike Heath
1988 560SL Black/Palomino
1988 300SEL Black Pearl/Burgandy
1984 500SEC Anthracite Grey/Palomino
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  #9  
Old 06-19-2006, 01:35 AM
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Good job with the ball joint press! I couldn't get it with a ball joint press and a 1/2" drive air tool. Did you torque it by hand? I wound up using a 30 ton hydraulic press (they had at work). It was pretty fast and easy. You just have to support it properly.

I am using a 28 ton screw press (changing all suspension bushings to poly on a Honda). I miss that hydraulic press. It took 3 hours to press out the 16 bushing sleeves.
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1985 Mercedes 500SL Euro (Gray market)
1995 BMW 520i Euro (Gray market)
1992 BMW 525it Wagon
1994 Honda Del Sol Si
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  #10  
Old 06-19-2006, 11:06 AM
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The screw drive on the ball joint press has a 1/2" socket connector. I used a 2-1/2 to 3 foot breaker bar (also from Harbor Freight) to remove the old joint. No problem at all.
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Mike Heath
1988 560SL Black/Palomino
1988 300SEL Black Pearl/Burgandy
1984 500SEC Anthracite Grey/Palomino
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  #11  
Old 06-19-2006, 10:09 PM
88Black560SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CT
Posts: 3,510
Quote:
Originally Posted by maheath
I was able to remove and replace the ball joints in my 560SL with this tool from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335

It's not very hard at all. My boots had disintegrated and my steering was affected by the bad ball joints.
Ive used a similare tool from OTC at about 6 times the price on GM products. Its a great tool and at that price I think I will purchase it. It also does ujoints.

John Roncallo
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  #12  
Old 06-20-2006, 05:05 PM
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Location: Battle Ground, WA
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Hi there,
Like you said, at the price it's worth purchasing! Mine is on the way! I like tools anyway...
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Richard Wooldridge
'01 ML320
'82 300D 4.3L V6/T700R4 conversion
'82 380SL, '86 560SL engine/trans. installed
'79 450SL, digital servo update
'75 280C
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  #13  
Old 06-30-2006, 01:21 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 169
Model 126-type spindle assembly?

Mike,

Is your car have the model 126-type spindle? The one with the ball joint 'buried' a bit in a cup in the spindle? I had mine pressed out some time ago (now need to redo them), and I think the shop needed a special tool to get full access to the joint.

Of course, if your tool suggestion would work for me, I'd prefer it.

Lou
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  #14  
Old 06-30-2006, 03:35 PM
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Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 563
Well, here's what I can say about the 126, specifically my 300SEL. The lower control arm is radically different than my 560SL. I just looked at it (without taking the tire off) and I see no reason why the tool wouldn't work on it also. I remember when I had them off a couple of years ago that the if you disconnect the upper control arm from the spindle, that gives a lot of room and angles to approach the lower ball joint from.

It seems to me like it would work. But I can't say that with 100% confidence.

There's a Harbor Freight store here in Austin and I bought the kit there. I had no idea if it was going to work, but I figured that I owned 5 cars and it was bound to work on at least one of them. It helped that it was roughly shaped like the Mercedes ball joint remover pictured in the manual.
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Mike Heath
1988 560SL Black/Palomino
1988 300SEL Black Pearl/Burgandy
1984 500SEC Anthracite Grey/Palomino
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  #15  
Old 07-01-2006, 08:32 AM
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 766
FWIW, the 107 carried over a lot of the suspension components of the small sedans of the same years (the 114 IIRC).

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Craig Bethune

'97 SL500, 40th anniversary edition

'04 Olds Bravada (SWMBO's)
'06 Lexus ES330
'89 560SL (sold)


SL--Anything else is just a Mercedes.
(Kudos to whoever said it first)
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