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The last thing that remains are the two ball joints themselves. What you see in this photo - Knuckle with ball joints still pressed in is gone. Tools on the bottom (from left to rt): Pickle fork to release the lower ball joint, a 1" and 5/16 wrench and for the upper ball joint nut, and 1/2" drive ratchet with (I think) a 1" and 1/8 socket. What you don't see in this photo: a can of MAPP gas to heat the nuts, about an hour of hard work and sweat, along with some cursing. My ball joints hadn't been changed in a loooong time. Tons of rust. I had an old can of propane gas I was using to heat the nuts to crack them. Couldn't budge them...propane not hot enough. Got a can of MAPP gas - that stuff burns hot. After about two minutes of heating the nuts with MAPP gas, they came off much easier.
Just because you've taken the ball joint nuts off doesn't mean the knuckle just falls off the control arm. Like I said, the ball joint is tapered and pressure (and rust) is holding it in. That's why you need the pickle fork. 10 bucks...well worth it, believe me. The 1" and 5/16 open/boxed wrench is a size I didn't have. I went looking for that size in a socket, and couldn't find it. I bought the wrench at Sears for $30. Since it's only taking the upper ball joint nut off, there is plenty of room and you can use the boxed end. The lower ball joint nut needs the socket, as you're putting it thru the hole in the knuckle to get at the nut. I don't remember exactly what size it is, but it's part of my standard sears purchased 1/2" drive socket set - I didn't have to buy that one.
To take the knuckle off / release the ball joints, first you crack the upper ball joint nut. Like I said, use penetrating oil and heat (be carefull, the oil if flammable). Loosen the upper nut, but don't take it all the way off. Now on to the bottom nut. Put the rachet thru the hole in the knuckle (where you pulled the axle thru) and again apply heat and oil, then a lot of pressure - you see my home made breaker bar in the photo. Once that nut is off (completely off), now use the pickle fork on the lower ball joint. It goes right under the control arm, inbetween the control arm and the ball joint (red arrow). As you bang it in, it exerts pressure downward on the ball joint, releaseing it from the hole. When it releases, the whole knuckle will want to fall out and down...on your toes. This is why you don't take the upper ball joint nut off completely. It will stop the knuckle from fall on your toes...unscrew the upper nut and lower the knuckle to remove it from the control arm.
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