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Author Topic: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.  (Read 5045 times)

Offline team39763

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I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« on: July 07, 2009, 10:22:12 pm »
I installed new spindles on my 82 C10 yesterday, but noticed the lower ball joint was bad.  I went and bought a new one and asked a neighbor how he replaced his.  He told me just smack it out with a hammer and hammer the new one back in place from the bottom.  So that's exactly what I did.  It only took 2 hits with the hammer and it popped out.  I lined up the new one as best I could and gave it several hard hits from the bottom and checked to see that it felt secure.  Then I put everything back together.  Now after reading in the tech articles, I see that I went about it all wrong.  Is the truck unsafe to ride in?  I can't/won't try to take the control arm out to have the thing pressed in, so that's not an option. 
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Online VileZambonie

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2009, 10:25:50 pm »
You should use a ball joint press. If you didn't damage the new one don't worry about it.

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Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2009, 04:52:24 am »
Ive used a hammer and brass rod all is fine
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Offline gold84gmc

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2009, 07:19:45 am »
cant you use a c-clamp and make it into a custom ball joint press?
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Offline modular93fox

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2009, 05:38:22 pm »
do you know about autozones rent a tool program?
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Offline team39763

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2009, 03:00:54 pm »
Sorry, I hadn't been on here for a bit.  Yeah, I just realized I could rent most of the tools I need from Autozone. 
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Offline Irish_Alley

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2009, 11:14:46 pm »
GET IN THE ZONE...AUTOZONE
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If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes

Offline joesgarage71

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Re: I just installed new spindles, but I may have messed up the ball joint install.
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2009, 01:12:35 pm »
Quote from: gold84gmc on July 08, 2009, 07:19:45 am
cant you use a c-clamp and make it into a custom ball joint press?

 Yup Big C-clamp and some large sockets
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