[W126 Coupe] Repair estimates
mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
Sun, 9 Jan 2005 21:50:20 -0500
>
> From: Anders B <cqi987@yahoo.com>
> Date: 2005/01/09 Sun PM 12:23:46 EST
> To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
> Subject: [W126 Coupe] Repair estimates
>
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If you can find someone who has an on-car ball joint press,(looks like a giant c-clamp, and has cups that fit on each end), you could do the ball joints yourself, on jack stands.
I do them this way at our shop, takes 30-45 minutes a side.
First you knock the old ball joint out of the lower control arm with a four or five pound hammer, takes a few good smacks, but they usually pop right out. Then you take one of the cups, about 4" tall, that the ball joint will fit in, put it on the topside of the control arm, take the flat cup on the screw portion of the press, with the ball joint positoned in the control arm place the flat cup against the bottom of the ball joint, and the upper part of the press against the tall cup, and as you turn the screw spindle, it presses the ball joint into the control arm, and the balljoint spindle goes up into the upper cup. When the balljoint is completely seated just unscrew the spindle, remove the cups, and repeat for the other side. I bought my ball joint press from the Mac tool truck, about $300.00. This would at least save you money on the ball joints.
Christopher Huffine