Please dont shout at me!

[quattrophenia]

but I am taking my hubs to a local indie tomorrow and paying for the top ball joints to be removed. I think I have a kindrid spirit with my car as I feel every blow I make with the BJ splitter and I can't face smacking her anymore! I havn't got the guts to get the sledge hammer out!

They looked in good condition for 10 years old and I was sure they would seperate easily, so god knows how people with older cars get them out. Extremely frustrating as I only need to remove two sodding screws and then I can put the new BJ's in paint the hubs up and get the shockers, suspension arms and the new brakes and lines on. The chassis/wheel arch preparation, rust treatments and painting is done and a solid 10 hours of work would just about have my baby back on the road. So I have admitted defeat sorry to let you down guys!

[Jonny cobra]

At least you tried m8 . Just done my front end bushes and A R B bushes. Good luck getting her back on the road .


JC

[Pupp]

Instead of using a splitter, try clouting the side of the turret on the upright the taper on the joint fits into. A sharp tap will generally break the seal such that the joints fall out

[quattrophenia]

Pupp said:

Instead of using a splitter, try clouting the side of the turret on the upright the taper on the joint fits into. A sharp tap will generally break the seal such that the joints fall out

I can see the exact point the BJ would split. I am just too scared to give it the wallopp it needs incase I damage the hub in anyway. I was hoping that loosening the top pinch bolt on the hub would help, but the very top of the hub is the fixed turret that holds the BJ screw you refer to. I dont have the confidence to hit/tap the actual hub part as you suggest, but I see your logic and am 99% sure your suggestion would work.
I will have another look at it bright and early tomorrow. I was dreading this bit of the refurb and it hasn't failed to disappoint!

[andy450]

"quattrophenia",,,just completed the same project as you are doing,i had no trouble removing the ball joints (top and bottom both sides) by using the same method as "pupp" suggested, a couple of sharp taps with a medium sized hammer on the turret should break the "seal" on the taper(pinch bolt on the hub stays tightend as you are trying to remove the ball joint from the cone shaped "turret"), if the bottom ball joint is out you can use a long punch up through the bottom ball joint hole and after tapping the turret give the ball joint a strike up through vertically(with nut on a few turns) and it will release im sure.
in my opinion this method is less likely to damage the hub unit with a stubbon taper than repetative belting with a fork splitter
worth a try before going to garage !( wouldnt mind betting its what they will try )
good luck

Edited by andy450 on Saturday 19th March 06:47

[Number 7]

If you don't want to hit it, is there any room to use the screw / pivot type of splitter. Always works for me.

[TVR Beaver]

No... You have to use a folk splitter on the top.....
Just get in there and hammer it!... It's all the garage will do and charge you for the privalage!!

If anyones going to smack my baby... It's going tp be me

[spend]

Number 7 said:

If you don't want to hit it, is there any room to use the screw / pivot type of splitter. Always works for me.

I'm sure that's what I used (only kind of splitter in my toolbox), but corners would have been stripped on the bench not car. Might have had to bridge into the upright with a nut as a packer? Sorry can't remember the details.

[andy-w]

it sits about 20-30 mm inside the hub carrier so you cant get the lever part of a threaded splitter onto the nut...

as others have said, i used a fork type splitter and went upward in various sized hammers to it came apart...which was the larger of the club hammers...!

[spend]

..well if you only have small nuts to hand...

[Badmutha]

Just had to take mine in to have the exhaust manifolds removed after trying for hours to get to two inaccessible and immovable bolts; the first job on the car thats defeated me.Oh the shame of it!