View single post by Tom Bradley
 Posted: 09-21-2015 05:56 am
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Tom Bradley

 

Joined: 07-15-2013
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 This is the original ball joint. I remember these. I am surprised there are still any around. I replaced these on mine something like 20 years ago.

Yes,the rivets have to be drilled drilled out from the top to replace this. It has to be done carefully, but can be done by an amateur if you take your time about it. I suggest center punching them, then drilling a starter hole with a relatively small bit. Then go for a larger bit. I do not remember the final size bit that I needed to use. The first one went very slow because I was constantly stopping and checking to make sure I was not drilling into the swing arm. After that the others went pretty fast. If you already have the replacement ball joints, you should also have the bolts that come with them, which should give you a fairly good idea of the hole size.

As I recall, removing the ball joint from the wheel mount was also somewhat difficult. I think I had to borrow a wedge tool from the local auto parts store, or maybe mount it in a vice and use a heavy hammer to drive out the ball joint.

Hope this helps.