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Hi
Can anyone tell me if it's do-able to disconnect the lower (frt) control arm at the ball joint, pull the stud out of the bottom of the steering knuckle, and change the dust boot without disconnecting any other steering joint? And then of course, get it back into the knuckle?
You're not trying to separate the ball joint from the control arm, right, because that's impossible without a rennbay rebuild kit.
Otherwise, yeah, that's totally doable. Well, you'll most likely need to undo the anti-sway bar, too, at least on that side.
Undo that bolt in your photo, whack a bit with a mallet, maybe pry a bit to separate the pinch joint on the knuckle. Whack it some more. Come reassembly, a little lube on the ball joint pin and inside its mating hole on the knuckle really really help.
Of course, if the boot has been torn for awhile, or even if it hasn't been, you may have a rebuild (or a new control arm) in your future. The rebuild is doable on the workbench. I have a post about rebuilding mine on Carpokes, and also a "what's inside" post, iirc.
Of course, then you'll be undoing all sorts of fasteners and you'll need an alignment. (I have a post about DIY driveway alignment, too.)
If it needs rebuilding, there are a number of "while you're in there" improvements. New caster blocks, new bushings where the control arms meet the cross member, new rubber bushings for the anti-sway bar (at each hanger and each tip). Combined they work to make a noticable improvement over the 30+ year old rubber.
Thanks, that's what I wanted to know. As far as I can tell, the ball joint is still ok, and if it is, then I'll just install the new boot and put it back together. If it's not, then the rebuild is in order along with the bushings, etc.
I think I dodged a bullet on this one, at least as far as not having to rebuild the control arm goes. That boot has been torn in half since I got the car in 2019, over 12,000 miles ago. The ball joint is still quite tight, with no discernible play, and even the grease is clean! Now for new clean grease, a new boot, and hopefully a smooth reassembly.
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Home free now! I can't believe how easy this was, I was expecting a really serious wrestling match with the strut to get that ball joint pin in there. A million thanks to Usury - you were spot on about what to expect.
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