Ball joint tricks?

billybob535

CJ-6 Junkie
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Location
Shallotte NC
Anyone have any new tricks to seperate ball joints on a cj dana 30?

I have used a pickle fork, bfh, torch, and everything else I can think of to pop them apart. I dont have air tools here. I am going to replace the ball joints with new so I dont care about damage.

Suggestions?
 
borrow the balljoint press from AutoZone, its like a giant C-clamp with an all the right spacers, etc. Maybe soak them in PBlaster too.
 
I have a ball joint press. I dont see how you would use it to do that. The cj balljoints are in the knuckle not in the c like a later jeep. With the press pushing down on the ball joint the botton of the press would push up on the knuckle defeating the purpose.
 
Not sure about that, I was talking about the BJ's on later 30's. On those you remove the knuckle off the BJ's with a little vibration from a hammer and then use the press to remove the joints.
 
Its been a long time since I've done the CJ balljoints, I didnt use any special tools. I just did the XJ with the press, and it was a breeze. I can't remember if the 2 were different, but thinking back on it, I did have the press with the CJ, and I dont remember using it.
 
I got through it today. I tried the press but either it wouldnt fit or if it did it was angled so it wouldnt work. I figured instead of breaking it I would save it for install time.

I hammered and heated the first knuckle for 4 hours yesterday and 6 hours today and it finally came free. I moved to the other side of the donor axle and heated it and it fell off on the 3rd hit. My other donor axle was the same. Finished the other 3 knuckles in 30 minutes. For a minute there I thought I might be getting too old for this stuff.

I used almost the entire tank of mapp gas so as soon as I get another tank I will pop the knuckles off my CJ-6.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Bob
 
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