Help with lower ball joints

[Adam Berger]

I have been reading other posts regarding replacing lower ball joints and most say that you need a ball joint press. I am wandering if you have to use a press? I don't want to buy one and we don't have the hiring facilities Australia like in the States. I was thinking maybe a large G clamp would do the same job with custom made receiver cups. Has anyone got any thoughts on doing it this way? Maybe a hammer will do. I would appreciate any input.

 

[BradE.]

Hammer ain't gonna do it, and you'll end up damaging the new joints installing them. I'd venture to say a homemade rigged press isn't the safest thing either, your probably stuck buying the correct tool for the job.

 

[Opera House]

I used a ball joint "C clamp" to install mine. Even with that, a gentile tap was very usefull in moving the joint in and out. I think two heavy bars with a clamp on either side would do the trick with some additional coaxing of a hammer. Even with the kit I had to make some pipe section adaptors to do mine.