Front Upper Ball Joint Replacement, help!
Front Upper Ball Joint Replacement, help! I need to know how to replace the upper ball joint on the upper control arm. I stripped the bolt when taking the spindle off (righty tighty, lefty loosy remember that), and it appears that I need to have the lord himself come over to get the d8mn rivets off of this thing so that I can bolt up the replacement ball joint. I was doing a suspension swap, and my car is on jackstands and I need to get it back on the ground where it belongs. Should I buy a whole new upper control arm assembly with a ball joint already attached(and I dont want a hardcore aftermarket one that is $1,000,000), or am I stuck trying to grind all he(( away until I can actually get the old one out and just replace the ball joint itself? Please let me know.
Grind off the 3 rivets and the new one will be a bolt on replacement. $38
http://www.autozone.com/R,APP377295/...ductDetail.htm
Or a pair for $38 shipped
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-20...spagenameZWD1V
http://www.autozone.com/R,APP377295/...ductDetail.htm
Or a pair for $38 shipped
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-20...spagenameZWD1V
Last edited by djsanchez2; Jun 12, 2008 at 10:54 PM.
What he said......
Keep in mind, you're replacing the original BJ with a new one, so it absolutely doesn't matter how badly you butcher the retaining nut, rivets, etc... As long as you don't do any damage to the control arm, you're OK!
A good sharp chisel and a 3 pound, short sledge hammer should make short work of the heads on the rivets. Just a tip...On the other side, loosen the nut that retains the BJ to the spindle, but don't remove it completely. this will give you some support when you attack the rivets.
I tried to grind them underneath where the rivets are but you cannot get a dremel or anything in there for that matter. I drilled but it just spun on the hard metal rivets. If I grind on the top it will be pointless because that is where the entire assembly is and I cannot get that off. I appreciate your post, but can anybody tell me if you have successfully drilled this out using a hand drill? I need to know now as my jackstand is sinking like the titanic and my car will be sitting on its front clip soon if I dont get this wheel back on. Thanks.
Yes, drilling the rivets is another way to get there...However, I don't quite understand where you're running into trouble. On the top side, knock off the tops of the rivets then just punch them through....
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u can use a chisel & Hammer. first tap chisel to get under the rivet head. once underneath, you will need to start wacking away to shear the rivet head off. worse case, u might need to remove arm so u get more room... hope this helps.
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i just replaced mine last weekend w/ a hand drill. hardest part is getting the drill bit started since the rivets are somewhat rounded. but w/ a metal bit you shouldn't have that hard of a time. just start slow to get the hole going then give it hell 
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Verdad Gallardo Thanks, my uncle air chiseled them off at my shop. Like some of you stated, it was hard to get the drill started so I didnt think I could get it done. I guess I am just afraid to take brute force to some of these components.
