[Crispyt]

I need to replace my upper and lower ball joints on my 1995 C1500 2WD. They are the originals so I know that I need to cut the rivits out of the upper one. Does the lower one need to be pressed out or can i be taken out by hitting it with a hammer? Also are there any tips that would make it easier to do all this?

Thanks for you help!

 

[stephan]

Rather than cut the rivits off, use a grinder to grind the heads off. It's a lot easier, then use a drift punch to knock the rivits out.
For the lowers it's better to use a press if you have access to one, but if you support the A arm well enough all around 360 degrees you can use a hammer. I cut a hole with the appropriate size hole saw out of a 2 ft by 2 foot block of wood to make a relief for the ball joint when the nearest press was 40 miles away & it worked well. The key is to properly support the A arm, (whether pressing or hammering) because you could bend it if it's not properly supported.

 

[Crawdaddy]

If you're not pulling the lower control arm off the truck, you can rent a ball joint press from autozone. It's basically a huge C-clamp with a couple of anvils and cones to provide clearance for the ball joint. It'll press the ball joints in and out fairly easily.

 

[dsfloyd]

x2 on what was said in the previos 2 posts

 

[Crispyt]

Thanks for the help all, got em out and all fixed!

 

[Sirwriter]

Hey Chris,
How's those 4.10 gears work for you? Was wondering about what kind of tranny you have, how many speeds, how it runs at 60 to 70 mph, and last of all, mileage?
Dan