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I've never had a ball joint that stuck before, but I have had a axle so rusted into the hub that it took a 5 ton press and over 3 hours of constant pressure and PB to pop it loose from the hub. gently caress that poo poo, never again, I thought I was going to kill myself.
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Jan 1, 2012 05:52
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I like to use the "preload and then shock it" method too. Balljoint press, crank it down till it's about as tight as I can get it with one arm, then whack it with a BFH. The preload pressure of probably a few hundred to a thousand pounds of force from the press plus the few thousand in sudden shock loading from the BFH usually pops them loose, and the best part is that it only takes one hand, so you never have to put down your beer. pullin' balljoints like a boss 
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Jan 1, 2012 06:31
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I've done under 10 ball joints. The most effective method i've come across is a pickle fork and beating the everliving gently caress out of it. It's worked ok for me, and relieves stress, too. VVV Never done it with a sledge. Nails now, i've pretty much sworn off. There's nothing I can do with a nail that I can't do with an impact driver and some screws. Skyssx fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Jan 1, 2012 |
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Jan 1, 2012 17:21
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Skyssx posted:I've done under 10 ball joints. The most effective method i've come across is a pickle fork and beating the everliving gently caress out of it. It's worked ok for me, and relieves stress, too. Until you miss the end of the fork and hit your hands. Like I do. Every. loving. Time. 
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Jan 1, 2012 17:37
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JnnyThndrs posted:This, and if it still doesn't come loose I use some heat. Sometimes balljoints are just reallllly in there. Be careful using heat, my son had a ball joint explode out of the joint when the grease got too hot.
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Jan 1, 2012 20:21
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Skyssx posted:I've done under 10 ball joints. The most effective method i've come across is a pickle fork and beating the everliving gently caress out of it. It's worked ok for me, and relieves stress, too. I do ball joint at work pretty often and I've never used a pickle fork. For example it is especially bad to use if you're removing a steering knuckle to have a new bearing pressed in. It makes the customer much happier if you can save their old ball joints and tie rod ends and not have to install new ones. This is the method I've always used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDsci-izhhc
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Jan 1, 2012 22:27
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Aceshighxxx posted:I do ball joint at work pretty often and I've never used a pickle fork. For example it is especially bad to use if you're removing a steering knuckle to have a new bearing pressed in. It makes the customer much happier if you can save their old ball joints and tie rod ends and not have to install new ones. This is the method I've always used.
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Jan 1, 2012 23:05
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Yeah that method looks like it would only be helpful if the balljoint is held like that. On mine it's in the middle of a big cast plate that I can't deform at all like that one.
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Jan 1, 2012 23:25
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Vork!Vork!Vork! posted:very rarely would this method work here in the rust belt (wisconsin). Pickle forks, larger hammers, and heat are often required. this is how I do it up in Mass, also in the rust belt. I have *never* had one not come out, including some with over 200 thousand miles on them, split between Alaska and Massachusetts. The axle housing was so rusted that the lower control arm mounts (1/8 plate steel) had corroded completely in half and I was still able to remove them with a harbor freight balljoint press, 7/8 box wrench, and 3lb hand sledge. I never even used both hands on the wrench when tightening the press. I don't even own a functional pickle fork and I've never had to use heat.
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Jan 1, 2012 23:44
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Vork!Vork!Vork! posted:very rarely would this method work here in the rust belt (wisconsin). Pickle forks, larger hammers, and heat are often required. It works a lot better than you might think. Sometimes you really have to hit it hard though. Just like the poster above me I don't own a pickle fork and have never used heat. It still amazes me every time I do it how they just come out by hitting with a hammer. And I'm in Michigan so rusty poo poo boxes are about all I work on.
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Jan 1, 2012 23:52
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Aceshighxxx posted:It works a lot better than you might think. Sometimes you really have to hit it hard though. Just like the poster above me I don't own a pickle fork and have never used heat. It still amazes me every time I do it how they just come out by hitting with a hammer. And I'm in Michigan so rusty poo poo boxes are about all I work on.
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Jan 2, 2012 00:12
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daslog posted:Be careful using heat, my son had a ball joint explode out of the joint when the grease got too hot. Yeah, I've had them do that too.  I use a small tip on my oxy/acetelyne rig and only throw heat on the area around the tapered seat for a short time and it works pretty well without causing too much fuckery.
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Jan 2, 2012 03:03
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For automotive work (on a car that has lived through four salty winters) what torque rating should I be looking at in a cordless impact wrench?
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Jan 2, 2012 05:08
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:For automotive work (on a car that has lived through four salty winters) what torque rating should I be looking at in a cordless impact wrench? Honestly the more the better. I'd rather spend more and have too much torque than have to pull out a breaker bar and snap bolts. To give you an idea though I have the Craftsman cordless impact as part of their C3 toolset and it does 200 ft-lb. I've been able to pull a bunch of bolts out of the front axle of a Jeep as well as knock bolts out of driveshafts and other stuff, save for a few bolts that required the breaker bar / pipe extension combo. Also popped wheels off on the side of the road before with it, huge time-saver there. It's done a good job but I never asked too much of it because I have a proper Ingersol-Rand air impact and I usually just tow that out first when I'm expecting the poo poo to hit the fan. If I were in your position however, I'd go for the 300 ft-lb model or equivalent from a good manufacturer.
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Jan 2, 2012 06:40
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I've just bought a new Impact wrench, and I'm looking for some good quality impact extensions. I see that Ingersoll Rand has them, but I havent found a site that ships to Norway. Could someone help me? I'm also looking for other brands that are good quality when it comes to sockets.
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Jan 2, 2012 12:37
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Machine Mart have sent me another VAT-free offer (It's for today, but I can't be bothered going out, so I'll probably go on Sunday instead). Any suggestions for things I could get myself? I honestly have about everything I need, but is there anythingn they've introduced recently I might have missed? I could get myself a better torque wrench, they do digital ones now which seem appealing.
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Jan 2, 2012 13:30
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:For automotive work (on a car that has lived through four salty winters) what torque rating should I be looking at in a cordless impact wrench? I went with a corded one since they can easily do 350 ft-lbs all day long. When it comes to rusty poo poo, having the most power available made most sense to me (rather than something that slowly gets weaker as you progress - batteries).
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Jan 2, 2012 14:52
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Lowclock posted:Good lord. Are there any special techniques for getting out stuck balljoints? I was just doing the upper control arms on my e34 and and I had one that gave me a hell of a time. I unbolted it on the driver's side, jacked it up to take some load off the joint, and then a couple light taps with the pickle fork and it came right out. On the other side, I tried the same thing and nothing. I beat the poo poo out of it with the pickle fork in all directions and it didn't budge at all. Tried smashing against the threads with a sledge and all manner of heat and prying. I even went and got one of those stupid little balljoint pullers and got the same result as the last time I tried to use one, it snapped in half. I finally had to completely remove the plate that the arms and strut mount to, use a cutoff wheel to cut the balljoint off of the arm, then turn it over and set it on top of a 32mm socket and smash it out with a 20lb sledge. I finally get the stub out and the bore is perfectly clean and nice looking and not a spec of rust. Did it just manage to perfectly wedge itself in the taper, or was I missing an easier way? Using an air or electric hammer with a ball joint puller is probably the easiest way to get them out.
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Jan 2, 2012 15:24
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I don't have any tools for wood working right now, but I could use something to let me do basic things like cut 2x4s. I got a $50 gift certificate to Sears, so I was going to go buy a circular saw. Is there anything in particular to look for? I won't be using it very much, but I'd like to do some things like build a new gate for my trashcans and other simple home improvement projects. I was thinking of this one: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910871000P?prdNo=1 but I'm not sure of what features I'm really looking for.
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Jan 3, 2012 19:27
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Sockington posted:I went with a corded one since they can easily do 350 ft-lbs all day long. I'd say run lithium ion packs because there's very little difference in performance between a full pack and a nearly-empty pack (they drop off suddenly at the very end), but up there in the frozen north you also have to deal with trying to keep the packs warm (cold batteries are poo poo batteries). Also, I love that new (to me) method for balljoints. I doubt my copper deadblow hammer from HF is beefy enough to do it but goddamn I'll buy a bigger sledge if it makes pulling a balljoint / tie rod end that easy.
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Jan 3, 2012 19:38
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:For automotive work (on a car that has lived through four salty winters) what torque rating should I be looking at in a cordless impact wrench? I got the craftsman C3 cordless for Christmas and I am loving it. For the price, its hard to go wrong. Ive used the $150-200 range stuff and it didn't seem much better. Only the $400-500 pro stuff was any better IMHO. I did the control arms/ball joints on my 300m this weekend and it was cake, except for the one tension strut bolt I couldn't get the gun in with. I then used it to swap a set of wheels on a junkyard bound Daytona, and it zipped them right off until the battery went out on the last wheel, and the 2nd one was at home on the charger... 'DOH. I also have one of these.. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html for when I have to pull out the big guns. I picked up with a coupon and on sale for like $30. It has a shitton of power, but is huge and hard to get at odd angles for suspension bits.
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Jan 3, 2012 20:03
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Can someone explain what the difference is between a 1/4" impact driver and a 3/8" drill? I've used drills for years for driving screws, and well, drilling, but I've only ever seen an impact driver used for high torque applications and having never used one, can't see what a 1/4" one would do that a drill couldn't. Specifically these two: http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-38-pro-lithium-ion-cordless-drilldriver-68126.html http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-lithium-ion-cordless-14-hex-impact-driver-68568.html
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Jan 3, 2012 23:30
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The difference is in speed and torque. While I'm sure that, being HF, those ratings are optimistic - the driver is only rated for 145 inch-lb (or about 12 ft-lb), while that impact driver is rated for 384 inch-lb (or about 32 ft-lb). Neither of these are going to be busting through lug nuts anytime soon. The 1/4 inch isn't the limiting factor there, it's the fact that it's a 12V HF tool. My M18 Milwaukee 1/4 inch "compact" impact is rated for 1400 in-lb, or a bit over 110 ft-lb. Should actually be capable of zipping a lugnut off, I just haven't bought the adapters needed.
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Jan 3, 2012 23:50
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I am getting annoyed with making cuts in metal with my angle grinder because they end up sucking. I want a bandsaw but can't find a reasonable one used on craigslist. Is the harbor freight one my best bang for the buck? They are now $229 onsale, $300 regular. http://www.harborfreight.com/horizontal-vertical-metal-cutting-bandsaw-93762.html Other people mention $150, and I could wait, but I am pretty impatient.
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Jan 4, 2012 00:54
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I don't know what you take lug nuts off of... but I've visibly twisted 4-way lug wrenches with a 3 foot cheater pipe on one side and my entire weight on the other trying to break them loose. Dissimilar metals in contact corrode in a really horrible way. And then there is the big truck... I think it honestly specs more torque on the lugnuts than most Hondas put out. e: uh. yikes. quote:1. Using wheel stud nut wrench, tighten 10 wheel stud nuts (1) in the order shown. As I guess I better put a cheater pipe in the toolbox 
kastein fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 00:58
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kastein posted:I don't know what you take lug nuts off of... but I've visibly twisted 4-way lug wrenches with a 3 foot cheater pipe on one side and my entire weight on the other trying to break them loose.
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Jan 4, 2012 01:21
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blindjoe posted:I am getting annoyed with making cuts in metal with my angle grinder because they end up sucking. That's a huge jump going from cutting with an angle grinder to a permanent floor-consuming piece. There is an intermediate step like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-variable-speed-bandsaw-47840.html It seems like they've raised the price lately, but I got one for under $50 and it's held up well to occasional use.
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Jan 4, 2012 01:30
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MomJeans420 posted:I don't have any tools for wood working right now, but I could use something to let me do basic things like cut 2x4s. I got a $50 gift certificate to Sears, so I was going to go buy a circular saw. Is there anything in particular to look for? I won't be using it very much, but I'd like to do some things like build a new gate for my trashcans and other simple home improvement projects. If you don't have any clamps, buy a couple. A couple clamps and some scrap wood, and you've got yourself a simple jig for making nice straight cuts. Most circular saws come with a removable guide that helps make straight cuts, too. grover fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 01:33
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blindjoe posted:I am getting annoyed with making cuts in metal with my angle grinder because they end up sucking. This goes on sale for $179 sometimes which makes it 150ish with the 20% off. This is how I got mine. I am happy with it though the HF blades are not very good and the saw is not good by an industrial standard but beats the poo poo out of a sawzall. Typically a sawzall/portable bandsaw is your next step. What are you cutting that makes you want this? On a side note: Funny you mention this I went to cut some thin wall SS pipe today after changing the blade the other day and it wasnt cutting it which it normally would easily and quickly. So I thought what gives? I look at the blade and the teeth are going in the wrong direction! Those **** ************* ididiot ****** garbage jerks, I thought. The I paused, took it off, flipped the blade around and cut it. Never forget that you can turn blades in on themselves and that they may ship inside out. Otherwise you become the idiot.
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Jan 4, 2012 01:48
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InitialDave posted:I've visibly twisted a 4-way by hand. haven't managed to do that. I was afraid I was going to twist the lug stud off, it ended up popping loose and putting me on my rear end.
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Jan 4, 2012 02:59
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metallicaeg posted:Can someone explain what the difference is between a 1/4" impact driver and a 3/8" drill? An impact driver like that would still sink big screws into things easier than a normal drill driver, but you lose the adjustability in speed and the ability to drill holes in things. I think unless you're a professional framer or something a drill driver is more useful. If you need the extra juice get a hammer drill driver. Impact drivers aren't really impact wrenches, either. If you're looking to get something to get bolts off get a legit impact wrench - and you can always throw a 1/2" to hex adapter on the wrench if you're in a pinch.
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Jan 4, 2012 07:29
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Plus an impact driver is less likely to try to rip your hand off or strip the head of a screw.
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Jan 4, 2012 14:30
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So, thanks to this thread I now officially have a tool fetish. My dad is a mechanic so I have always had access to a crapload of awesome tools but now I'm living away from home, I have started to build up a set of my own. I got a nice set of Sealey sockets, wobble bars and a ratchet from him for Christmas, and I'm slowly building up all the other things I need, hopefully in time for the spring so I can work on the Golf and get it ready to go back out on track. Can anyone give me a total noob's guide to what essential stuff I should have in my box so that I can attempt the majority of jobs myself? So far I have the aforementioned sockets and bars, a selection of spanners, mole grips, an adjustable spanner, claw hammer, allen keys, and various screwdrivers, and so far this lot seems to have sufficed for little jobs on my Focus. Most of it is budget stuff, however, so any particular brand recommendations would be cool. One day I am going to have a house with a garage with a huge tool chest and it is going to be AWESOME. There is a Machine Mart like, 5 minutes walk from where I live and I have already spent the best part of a couple of hours wandering around making a mental wish list of stuff that I want. e: I'm in the UK, so can't get hold of Craftsman, Harbour Freight etc. before any recommends those. VolumeOverTalent fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 17:25
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I'm not sure about older Golf's (don't know what you have), but new ones have a lot of "triple square" bolts in them.
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Jan 4, 2012 17:45
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Uthor posted:I'm not sure about older Golf's (don't know what you have), but new ones have a lot of "triple square" bolts in them. What is the difference between those and 12-point Torx? e: derp, Google says I'm retarded, 12-point Torx is triple square. Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 17:54
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:An impact driver like that would still sink big screws into things easier than a normal drill driver, but you lose the adjustability in speed and the ability to drill holes in things. I think unless you're a professional framer or something a drill driver is more useful. If you need the extra juice get a hammer drill driver. I use my impact driver for virtually everything and the hammer drill for... drilling. gently caress ever trying to drive something with a drill. My Makita BTD 141 will not spin off lug nuts, or even particularly large 3/8" drive sized bolts. It's 1/4" drive shank, though. I'm betting a lot of torque is lost twisting that little 1/4" hex section and their dedicated impact guns would be better at automotive work.
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Jan 4, 2012 17:55
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Splizwarf posted:What is the difference between those and 12-point Torx? A.K.A. "cheese head". Why there are 3 different names for the same head design I do not know.
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Jan 4, 2012 19:20
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Splizwarf posted:What is the difference between those and 12-point Torx? These triple square drives superficially appear to be like a bihexagonal 12pt, but their wrenching format and the angles of the faces are different, they're not intended to be compatible.
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Jan 4, 2012 19:49
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VolumeOverTalent posted:Can anyone give me a total noob's guide to what essential stuff I should have in my box so that I can attempt the majority of jobs myself? So far I have the aforementioned sockets and bars, a selection of spanners, mole grips, an adjustable spanner, claw hammer, allen keys, and various screwdrivers, and so far this lot seems to have sufficed for little jobs on my Focus. Most of it is budget stuff, however, so any particular brand recommendations would be cool. I'd go for an impact screw driver and a rubber mallet at least. And a headlamp as well, just get a cheap LED one. They come in more handy than you'd think. Of course, you'll need pliers, crimp connectors etc. if you're going to be doing any electrical work. Get a decent hydraulic jack and some jack stands instead of relying on the standard scissor jack. I really like my ratcheting ring spanners because they get into tight spaces where a normal ratchet won't fit, but normal ring spanners work fine for that if you're not lazy like me. Having two of each size spanner can be really handy, no matter if they're ordinary or ratcheting. But really, once you have the basic tools down, just wait and buy stuff when/if you need it. Consult with your local cranky old mechanic to determine which tools you're going to need for specific jobs.
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Jan 4, 2012 20:26
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Lord Gaga posted:This goes on sale for $179 sometimes which makes it 150ish with the 20% off. This is how I got mine. I am happy with it though the HF blades are not very good and the saw is not good by an industrial standard but beats the poo poo out of a sawzall. I'm just going to be cutting some angle iron and bits and pieces for now, but I want to be able to make decent cuts to do the roll cage in the rx7. Also I have used my friends one, and his chop saw. Much happier with the bandsaw. Ill have to keep a lookout for the coupons to come out i guess.
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Jan 4, 2012 21:13
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