Ball Joints - Need to remove control arm?

mountain_man · August 14, 2006

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, however have been lurking for a couple of weeks. I very much appreciate all the valuable info contained here and hopefully I'll be able to contibute as well

I have a 99 Silverado 1500 4WD (NBS) 127K miles which is needing ball joint replacement. According to the Haynes manual, their procedure is to remove the control arm (along with torsion bar removal complexity) and have the old ball joint pressed out and new one pressed in by a machine shop.

However I've seen posts from others that have replaced the ball joints with the control arm in-place.

1. Is this possible for my model/vintage Silverado 1500?

2. What ball joint removal tool is recommended (Harbor Freight tool)?

Thanks in advance,

mountain_man

asepgrad98 · August 14, 2006

no you dont have to remove the lower control arm but it will need to be supported from underneath.

goto to autozone and borrow a ball joint press.

mountain_man · August 14, 2006

Tkx mucho for your quick response. That WILL save a lot of work.

I take it with a ball joint separator (picklefork), ball joint press, plenty of PB Blaster, a 36 mm socket (for the hub nut) and usual air/hand tools I should be OK. Anything other tools you think I'll need?

Also, I was thinking of Moog for the Ball Joints, and Timken for the Wheel Hub Assemblies. Any comment on these choices?

OnyxMAX · August 15, 2006

yep support that lower arm otherwise it will crack you in the knee realy hard make a grown man roll on the ground and cry kinda hard.

most of the time we take the t-bar out and leave the arm on, but we have all the stuff for setting the t-bar back right. witch is basicly marking it a c clamp and counting turns on a screw.

i forget what year has the rivited in balls think it's the older ones. might not even be gm my memorys going.