sammydragon3

gunna do the control arms and i was wondering what the spindle is made out of?

i was thinking about just hammering the spindle holding the lca. but dont want to crack anything. (Did this last time)

or should i do the socket method?

thanks

i was draining my coolant when a live BEE came out. Still cant believe it

mleskovar

If I'm understanding what you're doing...usually called bushings?...socket method.

sammydragon3

Lower control arm

mleskovar

If you're talking about disconnecting the ball joint end then you need a special tool. I replaced my bushings in the control arms and didn't disconnect the other end. Your way is much easier but requires a special tool.

sammydragon3

if u read my post i already did my lower control arms before using a hammer and a pry bar

a special tool really?

jkowtko

You are talking about the steering knuckle that the ball joints mount to? I believe those are cast iron or alloy and should be incredibly strong.

I've seen the writeups and videos of both the hammer strike and the socket/wedge method, but I personally used the scissor style separator tool, e.g.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Performance-Tech-W83022-Ball-Joint-Separator-/190826959996?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item2c6e2c547c&vxp=mtr
which seems like the most correct way to do this, applying pressure in the most appropriate location and direction. It sounded like a gunshot when the joint finally snapped, but it worked pretty well and required fairly little effort to turn the bolt to pop the joint. (Mostly just cringing and waiting for that loud bang ...)

mleskovar

Sorry, I didn't know your were asking a rhetorical question. I'm slow.