I'm going to be doing LCAs on the turbo car tomorrow assuming the weather cooperates, because it needs new ball joints. I purchased the $75 LCAs from http://www.internetautomart.com/ so hopefully they came with better ball joints than the thread i just read in the 4th gen forum about someone's ebay ball joints failing in 4 months

Any advice anyone can give on special techniques, things to look out for, etc? I'll have to pick up a ball joint removal tool from Sears or a parts store if I can locate one to rent/borrow.

 

don't worry about the ball joint remover tool.. just unbolt your axle and strut assembly.. get the axle out of the way, then unbolt the ball joint and smack the top with a hammer. pops right out.

either that, or I've left the axles in and stuck a small piece of scrap metal above it and unscrewed the nut on the ball joint until it presses on the steel scrap and pushes the joint out. both easy/free ways to get it done if you don't have the tool.

I've also used a two-jaw puller before, but that again assumes you've got the axle out.

or the redneck way to do it is to just pound on the knuckle with a hammer and after a few good whacks, the joint till just fall out of the knuckle.

 

any reason you're not just putting in ES bushings?

 

I be that redneck. The easiest way IMO you dont even need to mess with the axle. Other than that everything just bolts on. Hope you have a good breaker bar.

 

they are pretty strait foward....just use some good penetrating lube on the bolts hold the rear portion of the LCA onto the car

 

I don't understand the question... I didn't even mention bushings in this post. the car needed new ball joints.

Anywho thanks for the advice guys, I've had it done for like 3 weeks now lol. air tools > need for lube and breaker bar hehe.

 

you mentioned that you were swapping out the LCA's, including the ball joints in the first post....that's why I asked about the ES bushings...

 

Ok... the way you worded your post it sounded to me like you were suggesting that just replacing the bushings would solve the problem I was having with my ball joints. Your juse of the word "just" is what threw me off.