ok i have a 1997 chevy s10 Blazer ls with a 4 inch lift. i was wheeling up a hill climb and bent my passenger side Control Arms back an inch. now my blazers pulls some .. i am kind of stuck in the middle of taking the upper control arm off and i am struggling to get the ball joint off! I havent even begun the lower one yet! DOES ANYONE HAVE any helpfull advice on replacing these or taking them off? info would be stronglyappreciated

 

https://blazerforum.com/m_85219/tm.htm


theres some info on ball joint removal

 

^^ Excellent write up. I don't usually use a pickle fork, unless I can't get it with a hammer. I take off the ball joint nut and hit the knuckle with a hammer. It has to be a solid, square hit with a 2-3lb hammer.


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The upper control arm can be removed by using a pickle fork and splitting the upper control arm from the strreing knuckle. I recommend removing the brake caliper from the knuckle and removing the retainer bolt that holds the hose to the upper control arm. I also recommend unplugging the ABS sensor and removing the wires from the hold downs on the lower control arm. Tie both the caliper and the ABS harness back out of the way. Then you need to remove the half shaft nut from the hub assembly and push the half shaft out of the hub. Remove the lower ball joint nut and split the knuckle off the lower control arm. The back side of the control arm is going to be a little different. Go to the rear of the torsion bar and back out the bolt that adjusts the tension on the torsion bar. Count the number of turn you make removing the bolt, but do not remove the bolt completely. This will assist you in setting your ride height correctly. Then go back to the lower control arm and remove the bolts at the frame that are holding the control arm in place. Reverse the steps to install the new control arm. After completing the installation, I recommend measuring the vehicle ride height and checking your alignment. You may also check the vehicle frame near the lower control arm mounting points, especially the rear mount. I have seen when doing alignments where a small impact has bent the frame slightly enough that it could make one think that the control arm is bent and throw the vehicle out of alignment. It might also be a good idea to replace your ball joints on that side while you have it apart. The T trucks seem to have had a problem with the ball joints from the mid 90's until like 03 or something like that. When I was working in the dealerships, I was throwing ball joints st those things all the time. It's just a preventative maintenance suggestion, save you some time and aggrivation down the road. Good Luck with your repairs.