Tricks for separating ball joint from strut

[PeteKz]

I spent much of this afternoon trying to get the front ball joint stems out of the struts on my 1973 911T, so I can replace the front suspension bushings on the A-arms with Rebel Racing ones. What a swine of a job.

I was able to drive out the tapered bolts that wedge the top stem of the ball joint into the bottom of the strut. It took liberal use of Liquid Wrench, a 4-lb hand hammer, a brass drift pin, and a lot of whacks to drive out the tapered bolts on both sides. Next, I tried to pry the top stem of the joint out of the strut. I was exerting considerable force trying to separate them using a 2-ft pry bar, then a 6-ft pry bar between the A-arm and the bottom edge of the strut. I didn't want to push on the 6-ft bar too hard because that's a huge amount of force concentrated between the A-arm and bottom of the strut. But the sucker didn't budge on either side.

Any tricks of the trade or bright ideas? The ball joints appear good, so I don't want to trash them (that would also extend the job for a week, as I would have to order new ball joints and the special ball joint socket, etc. and wait for them to arrive).

My backup plan is to leave the joints alone, disconnect the brake calipers and tie rods, and then remove the strut and A-arm together. But I'd like to avoid upsetting the rest of the suspension.

Thanks in advance, PK

[john walker's workshop]

Take the castle nut off the bottom.

[Dpmulvan]

I use an air hammer/chisel takes 30 seconds.

[PeteKz]

I appreciate the answers, but that doesn't answer the question I'm asking. I want to separate the top of the ball joint from the bottom of the strut. To remove the ball joint from the A-arm will take much longer because I don't have the special socket and will have to order it.

Any other tricks, short of destroying the joint and boot with a torch? TIA.

[thetorch]

Why wouldn't you just get a pickle fork for a few bucks? Maybe I am misunderstanding your question.

[Locker537]

If it's rusted, it can be a real challenge to remove.

Prying won't do it. Get a good heavy hammer, dead blow preferred. Whack whatever solid portion of the A-arm you can aim at. I think I used a hunk of wood in the past as well. Rest that on the A-arm, whack it.

[911obgyn]

I took the nut off the bottom with a pipe wrench

[john walker's workshop]

It's hard when you don't have any tools. If the joint is good and stuck in the strut, use a pipe wrench as mentioned or a big hammer and big chisel to loosen the castle nut. Once it starts moving, the rest is easy. Why drag it out, more ways to skin the cat.

[Walt Fricke]

Right - having the right ball joint funny notched bottom "nut" tool is helpful, but not essential. As stated, a pipe wrench may do the trick. If you have access to what I tend to call a chatter gun (an air tool which moves in and out, and can be used as a chisel or a variety of things depending on what tool you insert into its receptacle), that can help a lot with situations where a round rod fits into a hole and there is any rust (pickle forks are really for tapered joints, like tie rod ends). I don't think you can apply its vibrations directly in this case, as chattering on the bottom of the ball joint may not transmit the vibrations up into the hole in the bottom of the strut. Applying it to the sides of the strut end might help? With penetrating oil liberally infused into the hole where the cross pin sits?

However, you can use a chisel on the air tool to rotate the funny ball joint nut, just as you can use a pipe wrench. You place it against the side of one of the notches, and chatter away. A blunt end might work best. Removing (and especially replacing) _this nut is really best done with the strut off, because with it on you end up using the rack as what holds the twisting force, and it isn't made for that. But I suspect most of us who have worked on this have done it on the car as often as not.

I've seen it said that you can get a "proper" tool for this "nut" at a FLAPS. There are a variety of cars which can use this 4 toothed tool, and they are not expensive (unlike the factory tool, which I have never purchased). But I don't know just which ones are right for our 911s. A search on this site might provide an answer.

If you are worried about wrench or chisel marks on the "nut," well just buy replacements- though without the tool you will mar it on reassembly anyway. Won't affect function.

So what guys are saying is the quick and dirty for removing your A arms sounds like the way to go.

However, I wouldn't worry about alignment here if pull the whole strut off. You won't be moving the adjusters on top of the strut tower, and you won't be changing your tie rod ends when you use a pickle fork (or, better, a tie rod separator).

Ride height and corner balance will be disrupted when you remove the adjusting screws no matter what route you take, but between careful measurement and counting turns, plus pictures showing where the short lever is in its housing when the weight is on the suspension - will help you with which splines to use on reassembly. To be sure, if your rubber bushings are all worn, this part of suspension setting might be disrupted with your new bushings.

For a really tough job, imagine the ball joint rod end being broken off inside the strut at the notch for the cross pin! It can happen.

[PeteKz]

Thanks for the additional answers, guys. Good to know a large pipe wrench will work, and I can put the nut back on with that too. I have an air chisel and compressor, so that is another possibility, since I can put the nut back on with a large pipe wrench. And I'm not worried about chisel marks on it. I'm not worried about the alignment, as I do my own, and learned how to do that many decades ago. I just didn't want to disassemble even more stuff. Pickle fork: I have two of those, one for ball joints and one for tie rods, but using the pickle fork ball joint remover will destroy the grease boot, and probably damage the joint. I also have a proper tie rod separator, and I replaced the tie rods with turbo tie rods about 6 months ago (and I put a thin smear of antisieze on them), so they will come out easily if I decide to remove them.

My brother will be over tomorrow, so I'll have him pry the strut and A arm apart while I whack the arm with a heavy hammer. If that doesn't work, then I'll take off the castle nut. And if that's seized, then I'll take the strut and A-arm out together.

All this just to replace a couple bushings...

Walt, if the upper stud of the ball joint was broken off and stuck inside the strut, I'd get a couple beers lined up sit in front of the TV and then drill it out. PITA, I know. BTDT with similar things!

[Walt Fricke]

Vibration is useful for getting things unstuck/breaking little corrosion bonds. Works great when pulling the fan off the alternator shaft, for instance.

Broken ball joint neck. Hard steel. Break likely to be irregular, hard to get drill started centered. Cobalt bits? Not an immediate problem for me, but once when in a hurry (broke at track) a shop couldn't get it out, sold me a used whole strut (at a decent price).

I favor a bit of anti-seize on the pin on reassembly.

[PeteKz]

Definitely putting antisieze on reassembly. Assuming I get it disassembled in the first place!

Yes, I have cobalt bits too. Now that I think about it some more, if I had to extract the broken ball joint stud from the bottom of the strut, I might hit the center of that stud with a torch to unharden it, then drill into it, then thread the hole, then heat the bottom of the strut and slide hammer it out. Possibly just heat the strut bottom, squirt "Freeze out" on the stud, and that might make it loose enough to knock out.

[Locker537]

I forget if it was in the factory manuals, Bentley, or wisdom from those who do it professionally, but the ball joint shaft got greased with a moly grease on reassembly.

[Dpmulvan]

Like I said an air chisel, put it in one of the nut slots a few trigger pulls will loosen it up then some large channel locks to finish. Don’t have the tool go get a cheap 1 7/8 socket and grind the 4 teeth into it.

[PeteKz]

Follow up: I bent a divot into the right A-arm trying to give it one last pry. Then I decided to try removing the castle nut with a pipe wrench. No problem. It came right off with a large pipe wrench. I’d say I applied about 150ft-lbs to get it loose. Thanks for the advice.

[PeteKz]

More followup: The right side ball joint castle nut came off easily with a pipe wrench as noted above. The left side was more of a bear. It slipped off several times. I also tried hammering it with a brass drift pin, but that was deforming the edges of the nut and not loosening it. Then I put a block of wood under the pipe wrench and jacked it up so the the pipe wrench would be well-supported and pressed in place, and used a 2-ft cheater pipe on the pipe wrench. I finally got it off. No fun working on old suspension parts that have been there for 50 years. The good news is that even after 50 years and 125,000 miles the joints are still good. The rubber boots are still soft and not leaking. Damn good OE German rubber!

Now I've extended the time to do this job by 4X because I figured I'd sandblast and repaint the A-arms and assorted bits, "while I was in there," and "for the last time." Hopefully back together tonight. And, yeah, I'm putting anti seize on everything!

[911obgyn]

Use the same method to re install, the tourque needed makes the tool for the castle nut want to slip off. Jack, block of wood.
If the ball joint is not somewhat firm you will end up replacing it.

[smadsen]

Pipe wrench with a three-foot piece of galvanized pipe for extra leverage. Had a 300 lb. friend stand on the offending piece whilst I applied the pipe wrench to the nut. Be prepared to replace the nut.