replace front ball joints and tie rods, what special tools needed? Options

[jimkelly]

i see that the turbo tie rods look alot different than stock?

edit: pics of my front suspension - looks like I have a worn part or two (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smoke.gif)

jim

[Dave_Darling]

Replacing ball joints:

Remove the cotter pin from the bottom of the ball joint, under the A-arm.
Slide off the * shaped washer that the cotter pin was holding on.
Remove the big funny-looking nut with the four square notches in it; that's what you use the special tool, or pipe wrench, or air chisel on.
Remove the nut from the pin that holds the top of the ball joint to the strut.
Pound out the pin; the air chisel makes short work of it, or pound it out with a BFH.

It can take some wiggling or prying to separate the ball joint from the strut once the pin is out, but it's not too bad.

Make sure to replace the pin, as well as the nut and cotter pin, when you put everthing back together.

Not sure about how you'd do the bushings.

--DD