Ball joint replacement, how big of a job?

[justin brady1]

I've got a trip coming up on Friday and I'm considering changing my ball joints tomorrow, anyone have an estimate on how long this takes? Don't want
to start a 10 hour job right before a trip, but a couple hours should be fine.

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[sgltrac]

More than a couple hours as you will also need to perform an alignment. The
alignment alone is more than 2hs

Sully
Bellevue wa

On Wed, Mar 20, 2019 at 1:50 PM Justin Brady via Gmclist <

> I've got a trip coming up on Friday and I'm considering changing my ball
> joints tomorrow, anyone have an estimate on how long this takes? Don't want
> to start a 10 hour job right before a trip, but a couple hours should be
> fine.
>
> --
> Justin Brady
> http://www.thegmcrv.com/
> 1976 Palm Beach 455
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[jim kanomata1]

Do it after the trip.
If you have the origional, it is not a fast job.
Alex Ferrara will back me up on this.
Loose lower joints are under compression, so it does not wander.

On Wed, Mar 20, 2019 at 3:36 PM Todd Sullivan via Gmclist <

> More than a couple hours as you will also need to perform an alignment. The
> alignment alone is more than 2hs
>
> Sully
> Bellevue wa
>
> On Wed, Mar 20, 2019 at 1:50 PM Justin Brady via Gmclist <

>
> > I've got a trip coming up on Friday and I'm considering changing my ball
> > joints tomorrow, anyone have an estimate on how long this takes? Don't
> want
> > to start a 10 hour job right before a trip, but a couple hours should be
> > fine.
> >
> > --
> > Justin Brady
> > http://www.thegmcrv.com/
> > 1976 Palm Beach 455
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

 

[justin brady1]

Thanks guys, I'll wait on it.

Last week it was VERY windy here, 20-30mph sustained gusting to 50 and It was not a fun drive.
I can feel a little slop that I believe is the ball joints and I've already got them so I may as well swap them out!

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[LQQKatJon]

every ball joint swap I have done and witnessed, ended up taking a bit of time and was a fight start to finish.

The original one's are riveted in, and are a real pain to drill out and get the old one off. Then you have to make sure the new one's fit properly
flat. Make sure you get some guidance in using the correct bolts, and how to make sure the new ball joint is sitting correctly in the lower arm.

--
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/

 

[john r. lebetski]

It depends. It depends on who was in there before you. I recommend the Lenzi seminar be read first
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

 

[justin brady1]

> It depends. It depends on who was in there before you. I recommend the Lenzi seminar be read first

Do you have a link?
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[Ken B]

You might want to look at the lower control arm bushings. I have not seen an original set on a GMC that really did not need to be replaced. While you
have the control arms off replace the ball joints then. Use Energy Suspension bushings. They will never wear out and you do not need any special
tools to remove and install the.

Jim K. probably sells them. I got mine from a non-GMC source about 12 years ago. Uppers really were not bad but I replaced them any way. Problem is
Energy Suspension does not make the upper offset ones.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

 

[justin brady1]

Ken,
I've got those at the ready as well!
Should be a long gmc weekend in my future.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[Ken B]

What you really need to install them is a vice and a propane torch. You heat the old rubber basically burn them until the rubber lets loose then
clean up the remaining steel cylinder and then just press the new ones into the cylinder in with a vice. I got carried away and bead blasted the
whole a-frame and painted it with black rustoleum before reassembly. It is not a bad job.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana