Lower ball joint stud STUCK

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MopaR&D

MopaR&D

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I'm rebuilding my front-end and I can't get the damn lower ball joint stud out of the lower control arm (driver's side). I got it out fine on the passenger's side, but this thing just won't budge. I've gone as far as putting the control arm in a vise and hitting the stud with a 10-lb. sledge hammer. Now all I have is a mushroom'd stud. What the hell is up? What else can I do?
 
get a tie rod puller on it and use a torch to heat up around the stud. be carefull though cuz when it comes apart it will come flying apart.
 
Try a pickle fork?

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Ahh, I hadn't though about heating around it. I may try the pickle fork too.
 
I had the same problem. I just had to trade the BFH for a GBFH. It worked.=P~
 
Yup, I've resorted to a golf like swing using a 6 lb hammer and a pickle fork (ball joint splitter). Replacement boots for the lower ball joints are hard to find.
Mushroomed stud means new joint anyway. Good luck
 
also, spray it a few times with PB Blaster penetrating oil and let it sit for about an hour, that stuff works great, i am yet to find anything that compares
 
I heated mine up a little then squirted some penratrating oil. placed the nut back on and hit with a BFH and it popped off. then remove the nut and slide out.
 
Some years ago I had this problem with a buddies Olds. Took two propane torches and the pickle fork set from Lisle that you can attach to an air hammer. I won!
 
I guess I'll rent that pickle fork then. I'll try swinging harder too, I was just afraid of breaking the lower control arm.
 
try taking two hammers and hitting the outside diameter at the same time it allways works
 
I got it out. We just put the part holding the stud directly into the vise instead of putting it in directly in the middle of the control arm. After a few consecutively bigger whacks it fell out! Now I can finally put my front end back together.
 
72demon said:
try taking two hammers and hitting the outside diameter at the same time it allways works
Click to expand...

Yeah, I always use two hammers. I never use a pickle fork, and it comes apart easy. I'm right handed, so I hold one hammer against the one side with my left hand, and then smack the right side with the other hammer, hard. It pops apart quickly every time. Pickle forks are way too much work.
 
I've never used 2 hammers, sounds good. What always works for me is hitting the piece that the stud goes through. Leave the nut on a few threads so it doesn't fly out. Pickle forks shoud be illegal! All they do is ruin a good boot and marr up the metal surfaces.
 
If you strike 2 hammers together you sure better wear some safety glasses.
 
We're not striking two hammers together, we're hitting the knuckle on both sides where the balljoint stud goes through. I'd be more worried about metal flying off of a pickle fork than I would be from the knuckle.

But I always wear safety glasses. It gets the chicks.
 
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