Not to bad! Still expensive but cheaper than i thought!

 

If you switch to four wheel steer you would

 

Check with Rebel Offroad. I got my synergy ball joints from them for less than $250.00 with free shipping. The shock of the install price was too much for me, so I did them with some buddies. Taking a few breaks, it was still a 7 hour job. It did help cure my death wobble though! Mine were completely shot...

I know you don't have the time, but if others are reading, it isn't a hard install, just time consuming. I would try to get some friends to help though. A really great positive from doing this is that if someone breaks a ujoint or front axle shaft, I know what it takes to get them back on the trail. That is great info to have!

Josh

 

If someone has done it before on a JK, then it would be *easier*. If someone is doing it the 1st time, it's a hard install because:

1) Very hard to take things apart:

- hub bolt heads are rusted, hard to fit a socket on them

- the hub won't seperate from the steering knuckle, gotta use some tricks to make it come off

- the steering knuckle will be a pain to seperate from the C's, even after hammering with a pickle fork, still have to use the hell out of a 36" pry bar

2) Now comes the fun part, pressing out the old ball joints!

- the *ucker won't budge a 1/1000000 of an inch, and you realize your current breaker bar is too short. Take a bus to the nearest store and pick up a 36" breaker bar and a blow torch

- finally with a 36" breaker bar this as*hole ball joint excerpts a strong fart, but then by the time it's out, you realize your c-press is bent. Great!

3) Pressing in new ball joints

- the press is bent, but you somehow manage to press in the lower ball joint. Not so on the upper ball joint. It won't go in straight, and after 3+ hours of fiddling with it, you finally decide to take another bus to the nearest store to get a new ball joint press.

- finally with the new press and some effort, you're able to press in the upper ball joint. Great, now move on to the other side!


This definitely wasn't easy. Having the right tools will make it easier, however. So if someone wants to do it themselves, make sure you have a blow torch, a 36" breaker bar, a 36" pry bar or a proper ball joint seperator (much better option), have 2 presses in case 1 gets bent, get some random pipes and spacers as the normal 4wd ball joint press kit won't have everything you need... or simply by the extra adapter set for the ball joint press (the best option, but also priciest). The most important piece from that set would be the angled adapter. And get a 2nd set of hands. Even if you won't have to use them, they can give you some moral support and encouragement.

 

Haha sounds to me like a fun weekend project! I will most likely do it myself with my brother. Im "tool" smart i guess you could say so ill get a nice joint press and the breaker bars and pry bars and ill let everyone know how it goes. It doesn't seem complicated but as some of you stated, some of the bolts are rusted beyond hell and i have a trick for that! Liquid wrench! Best stuff on the market!

 

Make sure you soak everything with penetrating oil ahead of time and on the day you work on it. Helped a buddy with his the other weekend and the story was much the same as above with the BJ press being bent open and haveing to fight them out and back in.

Rob

 

Pickle forks and pry bars are fun and all if you like working hard but 3 or 4 hard (don't be shy) whacks with a 2 pound hammer on the end or side of the C, upper and lower, where the joints are and that knuckle will drop right out. Leave the nuts on the bottom of the ball joints on a few threads to keep it from hitting the floor. Same trick works for TREs.

 

ORW install mine for 75 bucks , but I did all the labor I took them a loose axle and picked it up later

I didn't want to do it myself just because if I had a issue I have a place to take it to

 

A buddy let me borrow an air powered pickle fork. That was crazy helpful!!! Also, definitely get an extra set of hands. I am not sure who came up with the ball joint tool, but it is a pain and needs extra hands. There is a great youtube out there for a JK ball joint swap. Jeep swag put these together. The part with the washers was critical. On the tool I had, it wouldn't have worked without that trick:

Jeep JK Ball Joint Installation - Part 1 of 2 Removal - YouTube
Jeep JK Ball Joint Installation - Part 2 of 2 Install - YouTube

 

Thanks already watched those videos. Very helpful. It doesn't seem like a hard job... Just time consuming and i need to be patient.