Original arm is over £100.

I'm about to go fit the ball joints .I bought them a few weeks ago and theyre getting kicked around in the passenger footwell.

I'd like to know if it matters which way the bolts go in ?from above or below ?

Not seen you post in a while Joe!

I take it you've bought the ball joints separate from the arm and will be destroying the old rivets? I wouldn't imagine it would matter which way the bolts go, though i'd be tempted to put them in upside down so any extra thread isn't facing the ground.

As a rule of thumb - best engineering principles suggest that a bolt shud be fail-safe, so that if the nut undoes the bolt remains in situ - ie - nut underneath.

I typed out a long reply but fugked up somehow.
Job done 1.5hrs start to finish.I might do the n/s wishbone another time,should take less than an hour.I put the bolts in from below because the protrusion was way less.

Thanx mhm.
Thanx Adam,hope your keeping well.I've been watching the threads but not been interested enough in any to express an opinion.

if this wont post I'm not typing any more.

Just failed MOT on knackered OS bottom ball joint. Reading all the hassle people are having removing ball joint from arm, I may just buy new wishbone.

One question: Gonna try and get arm off car tomorrow. I don't have to disconnect driveshaft to release taper on ball-joint? Not a lot of room in there for a separator tool. Can I just use fork type separator? After that, guess it's easy enough to get arm off?

Gurt Lush said:

Just failed MOT on knackered OS bottom ball joint. Reading all the hassle people are having removing ball joint from arm, I may just buy new wishbone.

One question: Gonna try and get arm off car tomorrow. I don't have to disconnect driveshaft to release taper on ball-joint? Not a lot of room in there for a separator tool. Can I just use fork type separator? After that, guess it's easy enough to get arm off?

Click to expand...

The fist time I split that ball joint I opened the nut to the top of the bolt and got my wrecking bar in there and prized it open.

I used the info below and did it a bit differently.

Using my 14v cordless drill and 3mm,8mm and a 10mm bits(ordinary hss).I first drilled both sides of the rivets with the 3mm bit to approx the surface of the arm just to have a centre.I drilled a bit then cooled bit in icy water then drilled a bit more.Then ground down to the arm surface then drilled using the 8mm and then the 10mm both sides of the wishbone untill below the surface of the arm.
Doobreydog explains it much better.It is very possible to do it with basic tools.

ps.I might not have ground down each and every rivet head and just drilled 3,8 and 10mm.
good luck if you give it a go.you should be able to pick up the ball joints from local motor factors.


doobreydog Re: Fookin Bollox
They are a right batard to get out....Whatever steel it is

Most motors you can do this on car with a basic drill but with FL you definitely need to remove arm...1st time took 3 of us (2 skilled mechanics) most of night to do one side

Easy way we found..

Remove arm from motor

Grind heads down to nothing to and bottom (you will see ring appear around rivet when down enough)

Use drill in press on slow setting with plenty of coolant to drill top and bottom of rivet by thickness of steel in arm (about 1mm)

Use very fine cutting disc and cut between top and bottom portion of arm for lenght of ball joint (3-4 inches)

Big hammer and chisel to knock old joint out from arm.

Big hammer to knock new joint back into place

Bolt through with 3 bolts provided....

20 mins per side

Did consider re-welding but with strength of these components didnt feel necessary.

All working fine after 10k and plenty of off road abuse.