Matt16

I'm installing BJ spacers and trying to reuse my ball joints. They're connected to the UCA with 4 studs, and I've being working at this fruitlessly for a whole hour.

I've used penetrating oil (PB Blaster), a propane torch, a hammer, a hand sledge, and finally a 8 lbs maul. Two of the studs won't budge. The threaded portion has totally mushroomed, but they will not yield. Tomorrow, my neighbor is bringing over an acetylene torch and usually when this happens, we destroy stuff.

I've thought of removing the ball joint from the spindle then forcing out the studs with a vice and socket.

These are the studs I am referring to.

Bigblock

Drill em out.
Bigblock

xXbrutalXcoreXx

hmmm. how is your truck jacked up? is the pressure off of the UCA?

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

hike your skirt up and put some muscle into it ya pansy...

hmm... sounds like the torch is the right answer for this equation...

Matt16

The floor jack is under the lower ball joint. I've got the bolts off, I need to knock out these studs. I've knocked out all the studs on the drivers side, the passengers' side has two studs that just won't come out. i know there isn't anything wrong with my method, i just need some tricks as the rust has welded the studs to the ball joint.

Matt16

Propane torch didn't work. We have freezing temperatures and the metal isn't heating up hot enough. Tomorrow, the oxy-acetylene torch comes out.

Cyberman

It's probably hard to get a drill in there with them still attached. but that would do the trick.

Hophead

All you can do is what you are doing - you might want to try and remove the joint and work on the bench instead. I had good luck with the double hammer tecnique on the joint - hit it with two hammers-one on each side- esentially you are sqweezing the tapered part of the joint out. From the sounds of things this might require some of the torch to loosen things up.

Good luck.

PS once you get everything apart - cover everything with anti-sieze!

Beaniam

I had to beat on them like crazy with a 5lb hammer. Got so mushroomed that when they finally did start moving I had to cut off half of them to get it to fit through the hole in the BJ

Matt16

After breaking a small vice (used as a press) and bending the handle on a much larger bench vice, I elected to drill them out. I've dulled 3 bits, but one of the studs has been reduced to shavings.

Junkers88

Jesus Matt what a PITA! Makes me glad I don't have rust down here, mine fell out with a tap of a hammer.

Keep us informed dude.

Matt16

They really weren't that rusty which is the puzzling part. PITA is dead-on.

Junkers88

Of you haven't gotten them out yet maybe you could try grinding them down flush with the top of the UCA and then drive them out with punch and hammer?

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

thats prolly a lot of grinding...

Matt16

I needed both hands on the hammer to drive the easy ones out, so I wanted part of the stud still projecting from the UCA. I did in the end cut them flush, and then drill them out. First with a 3/32" drill bit, then 3/16", and finally with a 3/8" I think.

Penetrating oil is now dead to me.

That all said, I finished installing my BJ spacers and relaxed the T bars to 13.5" (factory is 13.5- 14"), might go up to 14 tmr, but I'm off to a party. I'm aiming for flex, not looks.