Need help taking off lower c-arm!!!!

I need to get the lower control arm off in order to press a bushing in. I tried a pickle fork, it just ruined the rubber boot. I was going the heat up the the spindle (around where the stud goes through) and smack it with a mallet (with the castle nut face down). You guys have any other suggestions?

 

I know this is a couple months late but you could have used a ball joint press it's 2 arms and a threaded rod like a steering wheel puller and shot it with wd 40 for a couple of hours now he has to find urethane boot covers or replace the arms or drill the rivets and replace the ball joint

 

Autozone sells the balljoint remover for $14, or you can borrow it for free. I borrowed one and used it on two joints, immediately took it back to the store and bought one outright...it really is a great tool, and I am going to throw away the picklefork tool.

If you are buying, get the smaller of the two that they have. It says it is for "compact and foreign cars" or something like that.

I can pop all of my joints in less than 10 minutes, with no damage to threads or boots, and all can be reused. See the one on the top left in the picture...

 

Made my own ball joint press out of a piece of 1/2" (?) diameter threaded rod and a long coupling nut you use to attach pieces of threaded rod together. The rod/nut fits right between the upper and lower ball joint nuts. Loosen the nut a couple turns of the one you want to pop out, then with the rod/nut snug between the nuts turn the nut out with a wrench. Works pretty good and was cheap (free) to make.

 

BmcD. Do you have a pic. of this thing you made
...frank...

 

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow (Friday) evening.

 

hey smav, not to be a smart a$$, but if you kept it in one piece it probably would have come off easier.:evilsmile

 

i was thinking the ...lower control arm...was all one piece. i just replaced both on my '73.
...frank...

 

Me to. Needed both the bushing and lower ball joint replaced, so I bought the whole thing for both sides. no cursing required!

 

Hope this photo can catch all of the details of this sophisticated piece of equipment.

The threaded rod is 5/8" diameter and about 4" long. The open ends of the nuts fit over the upper and lower ball joint studs . Then you just turn the nuts out with a wrench to increase the length of the tool and the studs pop right out of the spindle.

 

Barry, i can see that working just fine hummmm maybe not
...Barrys' friend Frank...

 

Duhhh, I said "pops right out of the control arms", meant to say "pops right out of the spindle".

 

could you draw me a pic???

...Frank...

 

That is an awesome idea. Frank, it fits inside the spindle between the ball joints, you turn the nuts causing it to force the ball joints loose.

 

Uh, how 'bout "Neooo".