Upper and lower ball joint puller

mrtask said:
That DIY ball joint repair method is ingenious! What is actually happening here? Does the injected hot plastic fill the void between the ball and the worn socket, then cool down and become a new snug socket surface?
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Yep, I saw this being used on a restoration TV show (I think Wheeler Dealers). It really seems a good idea, acetal is common material for modern ball joint sockets.
 
You do need to get your ball joint assessed first as the ball end can wear out of shape in which case the new acetal doesn't last long...There are a small number of people still about that actually dismantle and rebuild them with new components, popular with trucks as the whole part is normally much more expensive.
 
would the suspension uprights with the ball joints either end be the same on the 4 pot and the V8's?

I know the brakes and dampers will be different.
 
jp928 said:
The RCCA club in Melbourne has both types of tools, amongst others.
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Indeed and very useful they are too!
Our mechanic Michael of Kryton Automotive used the club tools to remove and replace the lower balljoints. The right hand one came out a lot easier than the left which broke and needed to have the pin welded and heat applied.
Not sure why one would want to rebuild them if you can get new ones from Wins International for 29pounds each. Unless you want originality with castellated nuts rather than the nylock nuts on the new ones.

Will be returning the tools to RCCA on Monday, if any-one in Vic needs them.
 
"Unless you want originality with castellated nuts"

The OEM joints were being supplied with Nylocks & no cotter hole by the early 80's.

Yours
Vern
 
whilst i carry on with my work on my 3500s, i managed to come across some suspension uprights for a small amount of cash. They both came with knackered upper and lower ball joints. I had a puller made that i thought would work. A cylinder piece 60mm in dia and 3mm wall thick. A 10mm plate welded to the top with a hole in the centre for the ball joint. With a breaker bar, i thought i'd nailed it. Oh no i hadn't. It broke the 10mm thick bar and wouldn't budge the ball joints. In the bin that idea went.

I thought about it and decided to drill out the ball joint.

ball joint.jpg

The circular ring on the ball joint itself was cut of with a 1mm disc in a angle grinder. You can just about cut half of it away (see marks on the upright) and then with a bar i can 'break' the stalk out. The cut marks can be cleaned up once the ball joint was out.

Next was to drill out the remains. where the stalk was, i cut a serious of holes in the joint finishing with a 22mm drill bit. This then allowed me to cut a 'pie shaped' piece out of the remains to relieve the pressure on what was left. I then levered the remains out with ease.

Top ones came out really easy. Now all i need to do is clean the suspension upright with a flap disc and paint it before working out how i will be pressing the new bottom ball joint in. Top one will be easy with longer bolts to draw it it.
 
Don't use long bolts to install the top joint, it will bend those ears down and that will stop the joint going fully home. Use a chisel with the point ground flat and go around the lip all the way around, keeping the joint square.
 
To drive the bottom ball joint in, with the swivel pillar held firm allowing no movement, remove the boot on the new ball joint. Do not file or remove any of the fine splines around the perimeter of the ball joint. Using a suitable piece of pipe that will sit squarely on the shoulder of the cup (not the flange), and a good hammer, drive the joint into the pillar. It will take a while, and it may feel like you are making no progress, but it will come eventually. Make sure you keep the ball joint square as you go, particularly at the beginning.

Ron
 
Just to add to Ron's post above. It helps if you put the ball joint in the freezer overnight prior to doing this, and warm the leg up with a hot air gun.
 
On the subject of this, does everyone fit a new securing ring to the bottom ball joint upon assembly or do they leave it out? Is it likely to move/fall out over say a large pot hole?
 
I certainly would - why would you not? Lost the ring? The dynamic forces encountered in driving will be a lot bigger than those used to install the joint, methinks.
 
I have purchased new securing rings. I had realised that I hadn't pushed the new ball joint fully home. I have now. I'll update my thread shortly
 
Well, we're a bit new to the forum to ask if someone would do us a favour, but you can only say "nope".

Background: Our 'new' Greek export P6 LHD 1971 2000TC is being fettled for a rather 'challenging' rally in 2 weeks time. We have a great local resource, an ex-Rover mechanic (worked in Solihull) that we are relying on, but parts are obviously a problem.

Our Issue: We've just fitted two bottom links to the fronts, which has revealed the need for a replacement RHSF bottom ball joint. Locally, we cant get a bottom ball joint assembly quickly and our local mechanic wont have time to make a bottom joint puller and fit a new one before the rally. Fortunately, I think a mate can bring over ball joint replacements from the UK as he's flying in at the weekend, so we have hope.

Would any kind member either; be willing to lend us a bottom ball joint puller tool by posting it to Yorkshire (all costs plus more will be covered) in the next day or two; or refer us to a club prepared to do similar. We can get it back to the UK by early November latest, with grateful and appropriate thanks.
Being new to the forum I realise that this is cheeky, but here's hoping someone can extend trust (almost) to breaking point.
 
@Objective – Check out this link from one of the reputable P6 parts suppliers. You'll see photos and illustrations of the tool your mechanic will need to make, as they are not available to purchase, to my knowledge. I hope Mark Gray won't mind me reposting one pic here. See the bottom illustration.
wpa8c8c32a_06.png

It is a pretty rudimentary tool to make if you have a welder. A length of appropriately sized tube, a plate welded on with a hole in the middle, a bit of angle iron with hole for the taper and a couple of nuts welded on, and a pair of sturdy bolts!
I've read that sometimes the ball pulls out of the socket, in which case you have to weld it back in. Search on here, the topic and task have been covered a few times.
If you're really not able to get one made up in time for your rally, I could lend you mine, if you take care of having it couriered over from Norf London to wherever you're situated. Feel free to send me a private message if your mechanic isn't able to cobble the part together.
 
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Huge thanks to MrTask for the immense help in fixing up our P6. As soon as we have pulled the remaining ball joint (and done the uppers too!) the (very effective and robust) puller tool is available to anyone here that needs it. Its in Greece at the mo, but we'll get it back to Blighty on the next trip.
 
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