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Nuts for replacing steering arm?

Actually tried a combination of everything I saw in posts short of cutting and heat from a torch.

Heated with propane torch yesterday, beat on it with a claw hammer. Soaked with WD40 (all I had) all night.

Beat the steering arm tonight on the casting numbers until they were illegible, used a chisel in the cone adapters to spread them apart (if possible) then turned the steering so I could get at the forward curve of the arm, and beat the arm essentially straight back towards the studs, maybe a bit upwards.

You know the arm is about to come loose when the cones work their way up. In my case beating on the front of the arm made the front cone work loose, when I went back to the casting numbers, the rear worked loose. Combination of front/back popped the center one loose, and that was it.

Now the spindle itself. Another real easy piece obviously. Going to get a deadblow hammer I suppose....broke the 2x4's with the sledge trying to work it loose (I'm close, theres a gap) and the chisel wouldn't do squat.

Trick to save the axleshaft seal near the diff is to put a PVC tube inside the axle housing, yes?
 
By the way, anyone recommend anyone with "kits" for the front end? Didn't realize ball joints were as pricey as they are, and while autozone apparently will let me rent their tools, not sure I can justify their price for those parts, which aren't labeled as any particular brand, just Duralast.

I should check the GM prices, one post said the upper and lower came together...
 
Either get OEM spicer from GM, or Moog. They are the best. If used offroad. Some of the cheapo brands just wear out fast and you are doing the job again in a few years.
Carquest house brand is Moog. They are what I use.

I have a big rubber hammer I use to knock the spindle off. Easier to get spindle off if you havent already got the steering arm off tho. Just hit it top, bottom, side, to side, while pulling on it and work it out.
 
dyeager535 said:
By the way, anyone recommend anyone with "kits" for the front end? Didn't realize ball joints were as pricey as they are, and while autozone apparently will let me rent their tools, not sure I can justify their price for those parts, which aren't labeled as any particular brand, just Duralast.

I should check the GM prices, one post said the upper and lower came together...
Click to expand...

MOOG is all I can say, who ever has them get them.
 
Yeah, balljoint being worn doesn't help either, since it tends to move when hit. So I put the floor jack under the knuckle to preload everything and hold it steady, which seems to work in keeping it "solid" so I can beat it.

Guess I won't be doing both sides based on the cost of the components, unless I find the passenger side is shot too.
 
dyeager535 said:
Yeah, balljoint being worn doesn't help either, since it tends to move when hit. So I put the floor jack under the knuckle to preload everything and hold it steady, which seems to work in keeping it "solid" so I can beat it.

Guess I won't be doing both sides based on the cost of the components, unless I find the passenger side is shot too.
Click to expand...
Yeah after doing an overhaul on a D44 once, I learned now I look for a replacement axle thatis in better condition, I know how to check them now and you can get those axles cheap enough.
 
I've got a spare axle, but I'd really rather start with "new" front end components that will last another 25+ years without doing this again. :(

Besides, with the truck dead, I can't haul my trailer to get it anyway lol.
 
Just as an FYI, got the top of the line Spicer upper/lower balljoints from rockauto (great prices BTW) and I hesitate to say this, but it appears Spicer's quality control might be slipping.

Assuming the balljoints I had removed were factory, the upper ball joint castellated nut was 1 5/16". The new (Spicer) one is smaller than 1 5/16". It's larger than 1 1/4". AFAIK there is no common socket in between those two sizes. I checked against some cheapy socket I had, and an SK socket. Both fit the same. Took the nut to Autozone, same deal with both size sockets they had on the shelf. Turned out a 32MM socket was the closest fit, but it wasn't right either, could get about half the nut in the socket before it didn't fit anymore. Didn't matter too much, they only take somewhere around 80ft-lbs, so the 1 5/16 socket worked for the (hopefully) one time I need to tighten it.

Other than that the joints appear to be good quality. But no real way to know of course until I've used them for awhile.
 
Did you get the pro-grades or the service grades?

My pro-grades were the exact same size sockets as the OEM ball joints were... can't remember on the service grades I put in the 89 in November.
 
Yeah they were the pro-grades. The nuts were a bit "weird". For some reason I think the term for the coating on the nuts is phosphating (a black, somewhat semi-shiny coating that looks like it has tiny sparkles in it, for lack of a better description lol) and I was wondering if maybe it was too thick and causing the 1 1/4" socket to not fit, but with 1 5/16" being the "stock" size (that right for you?) I can't believe they made the nut smaller.

Also noticed the nut had a few indents in the top, kind of like those thread distorting lock nuts, except the indents were irregular. That's not what stopped the 1 1/4" socket from fitting, but it made the nut look cheaply made.

I bought two sets of joints, so I should check the other one and see if the problem is just with this one, or multiple.
 
Went ahead and checked my other Spicer ball joint that I have for the other side, sure enough, same non- 1 5/16" nut. At a loss.
 
Mine are out in the truck... I'll take a peak tomorrow. The nuts on mine were black and the joints themselves a brassish color.

The top and bottom are different, I remember that...
 
Yeah, only the upper one did the socket not fit correctly. I should mic the nut and see what it specs out at. But actually putting the front end together is taking priority. :)

Edit: the "plug" for the upper ball joint zerk fitting also takes a metric wrench or socket. 5MM. The grease fitting is standard 5/16". Go figure.
 
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