GMT400 ball joints

[facelessnumber]

I started replacing upper and lower ball joints on a '97 K1500 Z71 last night, and I'm ashamed to report that they're kicking my ass.

I had to grind off the rivets on the uppers, knock them off with a chisel then grind again and drill out what was left of the rivets before I could bolt on the new ones. That was a pain, but not a surprise. I've had to do that on other vehicles before although they were not as stubborn. "At least the lowers will be easy," I said...

Right. Because of the lip around the bottom side of the lower ball joint there was no getting a press on it, and that's good because I probably would have ruined the press if I did. I supported the LCA against concrete with the solid upper part of a jackstand, shot some penetrant on the ball joint then commenced to brutally wailing on it with a three pound hammer. I mean I got medieval on it. Damn thing did not move.

I checked repeatedly for a snap ring. There's not one included with the new joint, I see no place to put one on the new joint, and I see no evidence that there is currently or ever was a snap ring on the LCA. Am I hallucinating? There's no snap ring, right?

Eventually I had to call it a night, and I'm going to get back to it after work today. It's soaking in penetrating oil now, and I'm bringing a blowtorch.

Am I missing something? Is there some trick to this? Is this really what it takes to put lower ball joints on a GMT400 4X4?

My truck needs ball joints too. Is this what I'm going to be up against on the '87?

 

[Old77]

I encountered this same issue on a couple of GMT400's and I ended up having to just take it to a shop to have them replaced. I'm pretty sure they are a press fitting and you have to have the proper tool to get them out and back in again.

 

[facelessnumber]

Yes, they're press-fit, and I have a ball joint press. Once I get the old one out, as long as I clean the hole on the LCA and start the new one straight, I'm confident I can get the new ball joint installed. It's just that there's no way to get a press on it to remove the old one, not a ball joint press anyway. The lip on the ball joint covers the part of the LCA that I'd have to press against, if that makes sense.

Everything I've read where I can find any discussion of this says essentially "put the LCA on a jackstand and pound hellfire into it with a BFH" but I've hit this thing hard enough to damage the concrete underneath the jackstand and it has not moved. I haven't found any mention of a snap ring or other retaining device that's usually involved in press-fit ball joints, so I'm really wanting to confirm that there isn't one. It just doesn't seem reasonable that I can't budge it at all.

I really hope heating it up with a propane torch does the trick, 'cause that's the only other thing I have to approach this with before I give up and say "take it to a shop." I have never done that, and it will be a damned insult to my honor if the first vehicle in all my years wrenching that ever officially kicks my ass is just a common Chevy truck.

It shall not be.

 

[89Suburban]

I've only done the upper ones.

 

[Swims350]

my 88 gmt400 had bolt in ball joints top and bottom. so I'm not much help if yours has the press in lowers then you need the ball joint press, the big c-clamp deal.

if they are bolt in then once the bolts are removed they slide outwards towards the wheel not straight down or up. The top lift away or drop away I forget which.

 

[bucket]

A 3 lb sledge is for the little boys. Big boys use a 5 or 8 lb sledge to get the job done

 

[MrMarty51]

UHHHHHhhh,if the jackstand`s hard again the ball joint,it`ll not pound out OOOOPPPPppssssss

 

[facelessnumber]

A 3 lb sledge is for the little boys. Big boys use a 5 or 8 lb sledge to get the job done

Well, you know... Normally I use a 20 pound log splitter for swinging inside wheel wells, but all I had at the time was this hammer I found in my six year old son's toy box...

UHHHHHhhh,if the jackstand`s hard again the ball joint,it`ll not pound out OOOOPPPPppssssss

Eh, no, didn't do that. Although to be honest I probably wouldn't admit it if I did.


So, torch did the trick. Didn't even need it on the other side, it knocked right out, baby hammer and all. I guess that one was just crusty. Only time I ever had this much trouble getting a ball joint out was when I forgot to remove a snap ring.

 

[MrMarty51]

A piece of pipe,bigger in ID than what the OD of the ball joint is,about four inches long.
Place the pipe on top of the jacking stand,place the stand and pipe directly under the ball joint so when it starts to move it`ll slide downwards inside the pipe.
That combo will take a lot of the spring out of the pounds whilst hammering away.
I have tried removing them ball joints by just bracing under the arm,was`nt effective until I got the pipe on the jackstand trick.