Finally got round to fitting my Inner HICAS ball joints last night. (Jeff's Guide in the How too section was definitely worth the read)

 

But when trying to change the outer ball joints afterwards the old one wouldn't budge. Is there an easy way of getting them out or is it just a case of removing the strut and hub and smashing it with a hammer?

 

I tried using heat and a make shift press but it only moved a matter of millimetres, and then even after getting a pry bar behind the bottom lip could still then only get it to move another mill. ended up just boshing it back together and going home. Turns out the plays disappeared altogether now so hey ho.

Its a cu nt of a job. IIRC you take off the little bolt and the washer off the rear then you take a grinder to the side with the thread on. Grind it flush to the hub then use a pully to pull it out of the other side.

 

It gives you more room to work this way but its still a pig, Oh and loads and loads of heat :)

Is there no way of just taking it off and putting it in a vice to pop it out? Don't really like the idea of taking a grinder to it. If I still can't get it out i wouldn't be able to put it back together and drive it home.

 

After reading Jeffs walk through i thought the outside ones would be just as easy, but boy i was wrong.

You'll probably need more than a vice to pop it out, but yes, you can remove the rear carrier, you need to undo the suspension, the upper arms, lower arm and track rod end, then you'll need to undo the driveshaft, just follow the guide for grinding it out, it's not as hard as it sounds, just requires patience.

Here is a few good pics.

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=92607&highlight=outer+ball+joint

Here is a few good pics.

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=92607&highlight=outer+ball+joint

 

I did end up using a blow torch to warm the alloy housing just to help loosening the ball joint to drift it out bud .HTH

Yeah I see what you mean now, doesn't look too bad, its on the to do list now. cheers for the help guys.

As said, removing the hub isn't bad at all really, UNTIL you get to the drive shaft end nut, (which you should tackle first) you'll probably find one side is ridiculously tight, and the other is 10 times worse, I snapped everything I had (good stuff too), impact wrench no use, so I bought a 3/4" 5 foot breaker bar, and that sorted it out. But, I had to borrow a humongous puller, and I mean crazy big, 3 foot long, like something out of a sci-fi film just to seperate the drive shaft from one of the hubs (had to remove the drive shaft with hub, but I wanted to do that anyways). Once off, would be easier to take the hub to your local garage, see if they'll press in/out for a few beer tokens, gives you a chance to cleans things up too. Me personally, I was removing the subframe for clean up/renewal/paint anyways, but I would still remove the hub as I'm not keen on whacking cast things with big hammers...

As said, removing the hub isn't bad at all really, UNTIL you get to the drive shaft end nut, (which you should tackle first) you'll probably find one side is ridiculously tight, and the other is 10 times worse, I snapped everything I had (good stuff too), impact wrench no use, so I bought a 3/4" 5 foot breaker bar, and that sorted it out. But, I had to borrow a humongous puller, and I mean crazy big, 3 foot long, like something out of a sci-fi film just to seperate the drive shaft from one of the hubs (had to remove the drive shaft with hub, but I wanted to do that anyways). Once off, would be easier to take the hub to your local garage, see if they'll press in/out for a few beer tokens, gives you a chance to cleans things up too. Me personally, I was removing the subframe for clean up/renewal/paint anyways, but I would still remove the hub as I'm not keen on whacking cast things with big hammers...

 

I've got access to a hydraulic press at work, so if i could get the cast housing off then getting it out should be ok, but to be honest it sounds like more of a chew on than it would be to just grind it off. My mate did say he was going to take it into his garage and do it one Saturday morning, i suppose he'd have all the tools and the benefit of a lift there. where as my workshop at work isn't as well equipped for automotive work.

Other than the drive shaft nuts, it's dead straight forward and easy, just have to take pictures of the handbrake shoe assembly before taking apart. Give the grinding method a go, I did try it my self, but like I said, I was hitting the hub with a lump hammer, and I just didn't like it, cast (can be) quite brittle, and I have broke a couple of cast things in the past being heavy handed, so after a few proper whacks and no movement, I just removed it (as I said, it was coming off anyways, but thought it would be more solid to work on whilst on the car, then my mate bought a hydraulic press, so off it came)... Also, a little tip, I think it is also in the walkthrough to this, but I welded an old socket the right size to drift it out, onto a length of thin metal dowel, just so I could hold it in place without my hand being near the hammer, no chance of whacking your hand then.... Either way mate, persist and you will achieve :)