This job turned out to be more work than I thought. \u00a0Getting the joint out was easy enough with a hammer and a big socket.<\/p>\n
For installation I got a hold of a ball joint press from O’Reilly’s tool loan program. \u00a0Unfortunately it’s not really meant for tiny little control arms like the Fiero has.<\/p>\n
I found some info on using the generic press on a Fiero, but no\u00a0close-up pictures or good explanations (this post has close-up pictures, and I hope a good explanation). \u00a0Here is what I ended up doing. \u00a0You need:<\/p>\n
-Ball joint press. \u00a0I had the generic “evertough” brand one from the O’Reilly tool loan program. \u00a0No special adapters–just three spacers and an “anvil” for each end of the tool.<\/p>\n
-Piece of 1\/4″ steel plate, about 2×3″. \u00a0The critical dimension is it can’t really be wider than 2″.<\/p>\n
-A BIG flat washer. \u00a0The one I used was 2″ OD and \u00a013\/16″ ID. \u00a0Anything bigger than the base of the ball joint with an appropriate hole for the zerk fitting boss in the middle will work. \u00a0You could also drill the appropriate size hole in your steel plate and forgo the washer.<\/p>\n
Use the appropriate size spacer from the press kit (the generic steel rings) and anvil on the open side of the press. \u00a0In my kit, the right adapter was the smallest ring. \u00a0This side will go over the threaded end of the ball joint.<\/p>\n
The remaining anvil is meant to go on the threaded side of the press but it’s too big and will hit the control arm before it presses the joint in. \u00a0Instead, use some tape\u00a0and stick the big washer to the middle of your piece of steel. \u00a0Put the middle of the washer over the threaded boss for the zerk fitting in the middle of the ball joint. \u00a0This is your new anvil–the washer makes sure you press on the edges of the ball joint (the boss in the middle is raised just above the edges and you don’t want to squish it). \u00a0Tighten the press onto your new anvil. \u00a0This is a lot of fun trying to hold everything together and lined up.<\/p>\n
Here’s the “anvil” I used for the base of the ball joint. \u00a0The washer is just stuck on with painter’s tape:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n This is the setup for pressing it in:<\/p>\n Here is the DIY anvil from the backside:<\/p>\n Here you can see the washer in between the steel plate and the ball joint. \u00a0You want the hole lined up with the zerk fitting boss.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/themadgenius.net\/racecar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/2017-03-08-19.37.50-1.jpg\")
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