Just thought I'd pass on a tip that worked well.
I just did this job on ball joints that had spent 30 years in midwestern brine.
Prior to removal, I "cored" a hole from the bottom in the ball joint receiver with my gas axe {oxy/acet torch}, which made it easy to knock the male portion of the old joint out from the bottom. One might also try drilling a fairly large hole, perhaps 1/2". BJ material is VERY hard, so plan on a lot of time to drill a hole big enough to put a substantial punch through.
Once the hole was cored, the stiffness of the ball joint female "ring" casting is MUCH less, and can be knocked out with a regular hammer and a few swift taps.
On the first one I tried, without heating, I hammered for AN HOUR with a 10 pound mallet and 1" rod; while I succeeded in mushrooming the head on the hardened steel punch, and peening the female casting so badly that the male portion would no longer rotate, that sucker NEVER moved out of its bore in the steering knuckle ... which forced me to look for a "better" option.
BEWARE: REMOVE THE GREASE BEFORE HEATING AS IT WILL EXPLODE! DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW. This is easily accomplished by cutting the retaining ring on the joint with a cutoff tool, which breaks the grease seal and allows room for heat expansion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsxr
One thing I will warn you about is removal of the old joint (on the 123 anyway - never done a 126.) You'll need a BIG vise to clamp the knuckle into, and then a sledgehammer with suitable drift (I used a 30mm socket) to beat it out. It takes massive pounding though, and if the knuckle isn't secure, the impact just moves the whole knuckle instead of pressing out the joint. An actual hydraulic press is preferred but most folks don't have one floating around their garages... 
Good luck, |