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let me start off by stating that I'm no auto mechanic. Oh, I've swapped an engine before, I've done a rebuild and I've done a few other repairs to cars I've owned in the past but I lack the ingrained knowledge of how things "should" be.
Anyway, I picked up a VERY used 1986 F-150 6 cylinder 1/2 ton pickup from my Sister's neighbor. It was supposed to only need a clutch but has been sitting for a year in his yard. WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Yeah, I couldn't hear that either. I only heard, "Pickup - cheap!". Let's just say after a clutch, flywheel, break booster, partial wiring harness (squirrels) filters, plugs, distributor, front breaks, front discs, etc, etc, etc, it also needed new ball joints.
New ball joints, both upper and lower. How hard could that be? Piffle! Two hard copy manuals and an online manual, and a ex-mechanic brother-in-law later I had them replaced. Why is it that every manual is extraordinarily vague? Could be this, might be that is the best I got. Not even mentioning the part or process that I needed at worst. Very frustrating on all counts.
Anyway, in case anyone else is faced with this problem I figured I'd document what I could and try to let my experience be a warning, I mean a guide, to others...
Anyway, I picked up a VERY used 1986 F-150 6 cylinder 1/2 ton pickup from my Sister's neighbor. It was supposed to only need a clutch but has been sitting for a year in his yard. WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Yeah, I couldn't hear that either. I only heard, "Pickup - cheap!". Let's just say after a clutch, flywheel, break booster, partial wiring harness (squirrels) filters, plugs, distributor, front breaks, front discs, etc, etc, etc, it also needed new ball joints.
New ball joints, both upper and lower. How hard could that be? Piffle! Two hard copy manuals and an online manual, and a ex-mechanic brother-in-law later I had them replaced. Why is it that every manual is extraordinarily vague? Could be this, might be that is the best I got. Not even mentioning the part or process that I needed at worst. Very frustrating on all counts.
Anyway, in case anyone else is faced with this problem I figured I'd document what I could and try to let my experience be a warning, I mean a guide, to others...
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I've always been good at taking things apart. At least that's what my Parent's have always said. After I took apart the vacuum cleaner, after I took apart the drill, after I took apart the old b/w TV, on and on and on. It was the "putting back together" part that's taken the years to hone.
I started off by jacking up the truck with a small hydraulic bottle jack with some wooden pad supports since it was too short. I also jacked the truck from the frame, right behind the wheel well instead of the front arm as the manual suggests.
1. Six bolts and the tire came off.
2. A single bolt and a retainer clip and the break caliper and pads came off. I hung the caliper up and out of the way with some string so I didn't have to unhook any of the hydraulic lines.
3. I popped the hub cap with the small flat-blade, pulled out the cotter pin and removed the rotor bolt. Off comes the rotor. I would suggest replacing both front and rear bearings. At least clean and repack with new grease. They're not very expensive. Also, I couldn't remove the rear seal bearing with damage so I dropped another $2 each for those.
** I did learn one thing through the years. Seals are CHEAP! Always replace them when you can.
3. Three small bolts and off with the dust shield.
5. Off came the 1-1/4" nut on the steering tie-rod joint. I next used a standard pickle fork with a mini-sledge and a quick WACK popped the joint free.
I'm now looking at a naked and steering knuckle being held on only by the upper and lower ball joints.
6. Getting the upper and lower joint nuts off wasn't too easy. Some penetrating grease and some persuasion with a hammer and off they came.
7. With the standard pickle fork and the mini-sledge again, WACK! Off comes the knuckle.
Here is where I'll probably deviate from your project. I could NOT get the bottom ball-joint off no matter what I tried. I couldn't get an answer on which way it was supposed to come out. Oh sure, it looked like it could only come one way out but because of how rusted everything was, I just couldn't be sure and manual (all of them) were less than helpful. Actually, they were useless and didn't explain squat.
My deviation from the plan came in the form of me removing the springs and arms so I could get at the bottom ball-joint. It would also be necessary if I needed to, gulp, take it to someone to get out for me.
I'll document these change in step #2 and then we'll be back on schedule on step #3.
I started off by jacking up the truck with a small hydraulic bottle jack with some wooden pad supports since it was too short. I also jacked the truck from the frame, right behind the wheel well instead of the front arm as the manual suggests.
1. Six bolts and the tire came off.
2. A single bolt and a retainer clip and the break caliper and pads came off. I hung the caliper up and out of the way with some string so I didn't have to unhook any of the hydraulic lines.
3. I popped the hub cap with the small flat-blade, pulled out the cotter pin and removed the rotor bolt. Off comes the rotor. I would suggest replacing both front and rear bearings. At least clean and repack with new grease. They're not very expensive. Also, I couldn't remove the rear seal bearing with damage so I dropped another $2 each for those.
** I did learn one thing through the years. Seals are CHEAP! Always replace them when you can.
3. Three small bolts and off with the dust shield.
5. Off came the 1-1/4" nut on the steering tie-rod joint. I next used a standard pickle fork with a mini-sledge and a quick WACK popped the joint free.
I'm now looking at a naked and steering knuckle being held on only by the upper and lower ball joints.
6. Getting the upper and lower joint nuts off wasn't too easy. Some penetrating grease and some persuasion with a hammer and off they came.
7. With the standard pickle fork and the mini-sledge again, WACK! Off comes the knuckle.
Here is where I'll probably deviate from your project. I could NOT get the bottom ball-joint off no matter what I tried. I couldn't get an answer on which way it was supposed to come out. Oh sure, it looked like it could only come one way out but because of how rusted everything was, I just couldn't be sure and manual (all of them) were less than helpful. Actually, they were useless and didn't explain squat.
My deviation from the plan came in the form of me removing the springs and arms so I could get at the bottom ball-joint. It would also be necessary if I needed to, gulp, take it to someone to get out for me.
I'll document these change in step #2 and then we'll be back on schedule on step #3.
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I had a friend who had to buy his parents a new garage door after he put a spring THROUGH IT!
He'd used two g clamps and some wood wedged through the spring, but then the wood broke and fired it off.
Took just about all the rivets off that side of the door skin and punched a whopping great hole in it.
Definitely never gonna try a lash up myself
Nice "ible"
Don't know if you've tried this or not, but this is a method for splitting the ball-joint tapers that's always worked for me - even on my 1970s LAnd-Rover that was rusted to heck from life on a farm:
http://www.instructables.com/id/EAIM3WWF6B7SWDH/
Good practice, whilst you're under there and have the steering balljoint removed, is to loosen the clamps, unwind it a set number of turns (say, 10), wirebrush all the threads (including those on the clamps) and coat them with anti-seize/copper grease. This will make the job of the monkey doing the alignment check afterwards that bit easier!