super99
Well-known Member
I have a 97 Dodge Dakota. It started pulling to the right and would make a clunk noise when turning. I had it in for a oil change and had them check it, ball joints are getting bad. They said about $450 to replace them and align the front end. I have better places to use my $$, I can put them in myself. I borrowed proper tools for the job from a friend and started in today. The ball joints are riveted on. Have to grind off rivets and replace with bolts that come in the kit.I got the drivers side apart and ground off the bottom rivets and drilled a hole in 3 of the 4 and beat on them with a punch and finally got 2 out. NOT going to be a piece of cake! Not a lot of room to swing a hammer in there! I think I will try the air chisel tomorrow, I thought by drilling a hole in the rivet, it would make it easier to drive the rivet out, but if it's helping, it's not much. Wondered about heating the rivets and then driving them out, but the metal around them isn't that thick, afraid I will distort in and then nothing will line up to go back together. Good thing I'm off work till next Tuesday, it might take that long!!! Chris