Lower ball joint and knuckle

[wargle]

I'm getting ready to replace the LBJ's on my 97 XLT. I have looked at the Sticky and several threads and was wondering if it was necessary to remove the knuckle/spindle in order to replace the lower ball joints or can they be replaced without all the extra work?

 

[Turdle]

The ball joint attaches to the knuckle and control arm so, yeah.

You can leave the tie rod attached if you are careful. Take care to remove the wire retainers for the abs sensor from the frame-