Removing lower control arm

[Yukon50BMG]

Ok, so everything else on my front end rebuild has gone smoothly. Except the ball joint on the lower control arm. It is very stubborn. I have used a pickle fork and a 32 oz hammer, I’ve tried hitting the stud, I’ve tried prying, I’ve adjusted the height on the knuckle and tried that. I’m going to get a ball joint separator today and hopefully that helps. Any other suggestions? Or has anybody had this problem? The upper arm and tie rod were a breeze in comparison. Even the torsion keys were simple after some PB blaster loosened them up. I feel like there’s something simple I’m missing and probably going to feel like an idiot once I figure it out. This pic is as it sits now. I’ll update once I get home from work.


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[Byoung1330]

Ok, so everything else on my front end rebuild has gone smoothly. Except the ball joint on the lower control arm. It is very stubborn. I have used a pickle fork and a 32 oz hammer, I’ve tried hitting the stud, I’ve tried prying, I’ve adjusted the height on the knuckle and tried that. I’m going to get a ball joint separator today and hopefully that helps. Any other suggestions? Or has anybody had this problem? The upper arm and tie rod were a breeze in comparison. Even the torsion keys were simple after some PB blaster loosened them up. I feel like there’s something simple I’m missing and probably going to feel like an idiot once I figure it out. This pic is as it sits now. I’ll update once I get home from work.


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Had the same problem with my 04 Tahoe when installing drop spindles. The bottom ball joint on passenger side. The pickle fork I was using was actually not going around the stud. It was slightly smaller. Also I’ve had luck with just striking the knuckle really hard an it separates. I’ve done it several times since

 

[Yukon50BMG]

Yup, separator tool wouldn’t open wide enough, smacked the knuckle and it came right out, on to the driver side!



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[mattbta]

Mine wouldn't separate via BFH blows to the point that I ended up messing the threads in the knuckle for the brake line clips. I had to use the pickle fork with a long piece of pipe on it to gain more leverage.