Yeah -- they aren't too bad.
You MUST control the spring -- easy way is to put a jack stand under
the control arm and set the car down on it. Otherwise, you must use a
spring compressor. Make absolutely sure the jack stand cannot slip!
Set car on jack stand, remove caliper, strut, and steering knuckle,
then use the cheapo ball joint press from Harbor Freight (or better
equivalent) and some adapters to press out the old joint. New joint
will press in nicely with the supplied adapters. We used some bearing
collars my brother had lying about, you may need to improvise. A large
deepwell socket will also work, you don't have to worry about damage
going out.
You will need a chisel to spread the clamp joint for steering knuckle,
it won't spread enough just by removing the bolt (take the bolt all the
way out). Just tap it in a bit to open the slot and the knuckle will
lift right off.
The joint is directional -- the notch in the bottom ring should point
to the other side of the car, perpendicular to long axis. Otherwise it
will bind.
Get an alignment done after you put the new ball joint in.
For the tie rod, loosen the clamp nut (outer one), put the rod on an
anvil of some sort, and work it over with a 2lb sledge, hitting on the
flats of the sleeve. This will crack loose the rust and let you
unscrew the end. Penetrating oil is good, too, but you must start the
rust or it will never turn.
Peter
