lower BJ press c-clamp tool, rant

[benoit454]

Anybody ever use one of those big c-clamp type ball joint press/service kit?

We'll we rented one from autozone, POS wasn't big enough. You could not use the plate and cup on bottom with a plate on top, not enough room to get it on there. We had to pull the end out of it, use a tip off a gear/harmonic balancer puller, let the Ball joint stud stick up into the top where the shaft you tighten is, and use it that way. Worked decent after you got it lined up, took like 5 seconds to remove the bottom ball joint with it being turned by an impact.

Reinstall was the same way, not enough room in the c for the adapters, plates and cups, and ball joint stud too tall. So again we left the top open and let the bk stud come up into the screw shaft, which is hollow, maybe it's made for that reason? Then had a cup and plate around it on top of the LCA and a plate under the ball joint, it worked, but only the backside of the bj went in, front did not. It would not line up and work straight, ended up tapping it on bottom with a hammer, then jack under it and hit the control arm around the ball joint to drive it into the control arm.

I mean come on they make the tool for the job why not be wide enough to work? It worked great removing it, with our own home made stop inside the screw shaft, which made it short enough to make use of the cup and plate on bottom. Putting it back in just did not work, but it wasn't hard to go back in with a hammer and jack. Still have the ps to do tomorrow I guess.