is 85 dollars alot

Nice Scamp.

I'm in the same boat. Just not done the labour to start rebuilding the suspension yet. Did the post about the Magnum HP tool kit. Concerned that I won't get the right socket for the ball joint for my car so will have to call them to be sure. Looks like the puller/installer for the top is fine to use, but the bottom is still a cut, chisel, mash down type deal by the sound of it once the pin is out. Was an article somewhere that I read that said how they put the suspension back together. Just can't find that magazine issue again in my collection. Oh well, gives me an excuse to read through them all again.

Labour wise I doubt it would physically take them an hour to screw in the ball joints and press in the pins. Rate by the hour sounds about typically here lately with some places I've dealt with. Guess depends on where you are also. Where we used to live the labour rate at a basic shop was $110 an hour. Toyota dealer here gets $90 or $95 an hour as just had some AC work done there.

Probably charging you a flat hour to make up for not getting the whole job so making it worth their while to do the quickie job. Only an opinion and you know what they say about those.....

Reminds me of when I installed an AC system in our house. Needed to get an AC tech to come out, joint the refrigerant lines and make sure the pressure etc. was okay as it was already a charged system. Called all the AC places and because they were not doing the AC install the quotes came in at anywhere from $500 to close to $1000 for labour! One of those things that they just did not want to be bothered with it and make the trip for a 5 minute job so quote me way out of the ball park and if I bit then woohoo they were in clover! Finally found an Electrical/AC chap that did the work and ran a new 4 wire connector to the thermostat for me for about $200.

Oh, just a matter of interest, on your slant, where does the power brake hose connect? Got a '71 /6 Dart that I'll be swapping brakes on and will end up putting the power brake system on from a '73 V8 car.

Cheers