Ball joint castle nut - removal/cutoff?

[Nine9six]

When you guy cut off the ball joint castle nut, you state that you cut it with a dremel tool and split with a chisel. What dremel tool are you using to split the nut? There's not a whole lot of room to split that bad boy, and certainly no room for a cutoff tool. Are you guys just grinding the heck out of the nut with a carbide grinding tool, on two sides, and then splitting with a chisel?
P.S. There is a whopping 1/8" of the castle nut to grab onto if I use the BF pipe wrench method, so thats outta the realm of "you otta try" suggestions.
Thanks,
Paul

[vash]

i dont know the dremel bit. but it is a shaft that spins axially (?). island has a picture of it on the thread where he helps mark wilson. you would wield it like a mini light saber

on a different note, as you know, i am working on my pickup truck. i bought two pitman arm pullers. one was $13 and the other was opened and i got it for $9. i bet that it would work for the 911 tierod ends. i am taking break, but i will try it for my truck TR ends. maybe you should keep it in mind. i think kragen sells them too. (performance tools, in cheesy package) last time i had a frozen castle nut, i cracked them off with a nut splitter, also cheap.

[Shuie]

I used 1" cutoff wheels. Wear safety glasses. You will go through a stack of cutoff wheels breaking several of them as they wear down. You can get about 3/4 of the way through the castle nut with the dremel if you get the right angle. Finish with a cold chisel and mini sledge. Its obviosuly a lot easier when the a-arm is off of the car.

[buttjoint]

I used a 14 inch pipe wrench on my 89, No problem

[Shaun @ Tru6]

like Sherman said, but they fiber reinforced cut-off wheels too. I used one for both sides and there was still some wheel left.

[patkeefe]

If you are not going to reuse the ball joint, this is the absolute easist way to do it. Geat a drill with a 3/16 or 1/4, size doesn't really matter. Start the drill axially through one of the castellations, and drill out the nut and the ball joint. Basically, you're drillling part of the tread off also. Then, just pop it loose with a pipe wrenck. This takes about two minutes.
Pat

[jyl]

This method is similar to Pat's. If you don't have a pipe wrench.

Assume your A-arm is laying on the ground, oriented the way way it would be if in the car. Place drill bit at the point where the castle nut and the ball joint meet, at one of the "low" spots in the castle nut. Drill straight down, so that the drill bit is essentially cutting into the threads of the nut/joint. Drill almost all the way to the A-arm, but not all the way (tape wrapped on drill bit helps set the depth).

So you've basically drilled away part of the castle nut, leaving only a thin bit. If you want to, use a large drill bit and enlarge the hole, thus leaving an even thinner bit of the castle nut. Now take a chisel and hammer to the weakened part of the nut. A few hard whacks and the nut should partly split, now it is effectively a larger diameter, and will spin off the ball joint easily.

[Nine9six]

Problem solved fellas...soak with penetrating oil, have lunch, hit it with a butane torch for 1 min on each side, spin it off with the castle nut tool.
Thanks for all the input, gentlemen...Doing this job with the a-arm on the car, and only the space from putting the car on jacks, sucks.
So far, one side finished...New Bilsteion sport strut installed, new ball joint installed, turbo tie rod installed.
Other side...Turbo tie rod installed, castle nut off, ready for new ball joint, and other strut. Should be finished by noon tomorrow, if I start by 10:00.

[450knotOffice]

Well alright man! Good going. Sounds like you're making some headway.

[tdw28210]

BLAST from the past thread bump.

Based on the last 36 hours, I can confirm that castle nuts on a '77 ball joint are immovable objects with all of the following:

1) BF pipe wrench.
2)Castle nut socket and breaker bar.
3) chisel and mini-sledge.

Getting ready to drill..baby...drill.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by tdw28210

BLAST from the past thread bump.

Based on the last 36 hours, I can confirm that castle nuts on a '77 ball joint are immovable objects with all of the following:

1) BF pipe wrench.
2)Castle nut socket and breaker bar.
3) chisel and mini-sledge.

Getting ready to drill..baby...drill.

Did you lift the jack behind the breaker bar for option 2?

[Curt K]

Use a spiral cutting bit for metal, in a drill motor. About 1/4 in. diameter. Takes a few minutes to grind a slot in the nut. then use a chisel or stout screw driver, give the nut a few whacks (sp?) at the cut and it should be loose.

[JohnJL]

Try MAPP gas too. Cheap and effective.

You can cut these off easily with a full size angle grinder and wheel, just cut through at an angle, like a very steep threadpitch so you dont cut the arm. Works the same for bearing races stuck on axle stubs.

[tdw28210]

drilled and split the nuts. Broke a couple bits and one piece wedged itself in the gap I was making in the nut. Unbelievable. But persevered. Next time, I'd probably try more heat first.

[Bergo]

I got away with using a heat gun and a 14" pipe wrench, had the A arm clamped down in a vise on a heavy work bench, I know I applied a lot of torque when the bench started moving.