Lower ball joint rivets

[Tag George]

I have not got around to it yet. I have been told on some of the 95 3500 the lower ball joint rivets are fin to get out even after knocking the head off. How do you guys do it? Also once you get the rivets out does the ball joint come out of the end of the arm easily? Looks like it might slide out afterwards.

 

[Big T]

You need to drill the rivets going from small to ever larger bits, then punch the remains out.

The ball joint slides out the end of the stamped steel lower control arm (LCA), but you'll need a BFH to hit it out. On the forged LCAs, the ball joints fit on the bottom and they just fall off when you punch the rivets out.

 

[3500GMC]

Set aside some time and pack a lunch, you'll be at it a while.

The rivet heads can be slotted in a + fashion (cut off wheel) then chiseled off, then that leaves you with another 'head' so to speak. The holes are slightly larger in the stamped arms compared to the holes in the joint itself...won't pass through the joint...hence all the drilling... The goal is to get the rivet to collapse in on itself to release it's grip.

A smokewrench makes the job a little easier if you know how to 'peel' away layers properly without gouging the surrounding parts. I torched off the heads, pierced with a 1/8 drill, then blew out one side of the rivet with torch. Doesn't take much oxidizer to get the metal to turn to liquid.

 

[WarWagon]

Best way to do it is hire it out. I did it once on my 1993 and used a 10# sledge to hammer the rivets out. The 1995 I sent to a shop. It is a nasty, hard, dirty, job that I don't regret paying someone else to do the 2nd time. They used a press that made it slightly easier for them.

 

[Big T]

Best way to do it is hire it out. I did it once on my 1993 and used a 10# sledge to hammer the rivets out. The 1995 I sent to a shop. It is a nasty, hard, dirty, job that I don't regret paying someone else to do the 2nd time. They used a press that made it slightly easier for them.

Now that I've done it, it's not that hard. The hard part is getting the torsion bars out. I was never able to do that, though I think I could now with a bottle jack and some chain. I've done the ball joints twice now and you need cobalt drills starting with small and going up to just about the size of the rivet. Need to punch the rivets as the drills will walk.

 

[625fireman]

When I did mine I cut the heads off with a cutoff wheel in the grinder. Then tried a air chisel with the blunt nosed round chisel IIRC I had 2 that came out that way. THe other 6 got drilled some then the air chisel was able to punch them out. I did mine on the truck, there was no way I was going to try to get the torsion bars out. Not after being in NEO wiht the salt. Good luck It is time consuming job..........................

 

[hookedup50]

I'm with WW on the hiring it out. I finally failed inspection for ball joints and have no problem paying someone to do ball joints. I've been there done that and no more for me. I'm getting old.

 

[Tag George]

Got it done by someone else. I watched and can say without the air hammer he had and hefty drill I would have taken all day with my tools. He was still wishing he could have torched them out but he was out of gas.

 

[Tag George]

Oh along with that now I have new loaded upper control arms, Shocks , Treadwright tires , tie rods inner and outer both sides , idler and bracket , pitman , adjuster sleeves , bump stop shock absorber. so basically everything but new lower control arm bushings. It all seems good and tight with a computer laser alignment machine. All the work including alignment and tire mount and balance $375. :thumbsup:

 

[SnowDrift]

Now that I've done it, it's not that hard. The hard part is getting the torsion bars out. I was never able to do that, though I think I could now with a bottle jack and some chain. I've done the ball joints twice now and you need cobalt drills starting with small and going up to just about the size of the rivet. Need to punch the rivets as the drills will walk.

No need to take out the torsion bars, unless you're removing the whole arm. I've done this on two trucks and won't do it again. The job only pays 2 hours, I think, so it's well worth it to go to the shop like the OP ended up doing. The shop I use sometimes pops those out in very short order, as I understand it. He cuts off the heads and pounds the rivets out with a big air hammer.

 

[jrsavoie]

Trigger the drill and use lube. You will do a lot more drilling and go through far fewer drill bits. The black and gold bits from Fastenal will do fine. I use a 5/32 stub for a starter and I forget the next size.

My favorite lube for drilling and tapping is Anchor Lube. I prefer it in the dippy can as to the bottles. Saves a lot of product. Orange hand cleaner and Amsoil air cleaner oil also work OK. Anything is better than nothing.

Now that I've done it, it's not that hard. The hard part is getting the torsion bars out. I was never able to do that, though I think I could now with a bottle jack and some chain. I've done the ball joints twice now and you need cobalt drills starting with small and going up to just about the size of the rivet. Need to punch the rivets as the drills will walk.