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Title: Message
A big thanks to all
who responded!
To paraphrase
everyone's advice, I guess it boils down to this:
1) This is a
reallllllly tough nut to crack, so to speak. It'll take a huge amount of
pressure to break them free -- possibly up to 1000 ft-lbs!
2) Therefore,
it's usually best to take them to a machine shop
3) Most
machine shops should be able to do it, provided they have the special
socket
4) There are
two sizes of the special socket: C-3560 for Plymouth, Dodge, and
Firesweep, and C-3561 for Chrysler, All other DeSotos, and
Imperial
5) The sockets
are available from many sources, including NAPA, Snap-On, MAC, and Matco tools,
as well as the original supplier, Miller Special Tools (http://www.spxmiller.com).
6) While the
ball joints are out, it's best to replace the bushings on the control
arms.
I checked my usual
local machine shops, and none had the socket. They offered to do the job, if I
bought the socket. I did buy the socket from Miller, who surprisingly was
also the lowest cost ($30 for either socket).
So, I'm going to
give breaking them free a shot, but if I can't get them out, at least I can take
them to a shop to have it done.
I bought the
complete front end kit from Kanter, that included the ball joints, outer tie rod
ends, and all of the bushings for around $180. That can also be done by a
machine shop, or with a special tool (which I actually picked up at Hershey) or
a universal press.
So, one way or
another, they'll be replaced!
Thanks
Again,
-Dave
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