marius Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) how can I remove lower ball joint(Manta A) from control arm? do I need special tools for doing this? Edited June 7, 2011 by marius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickappy Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 good question:) i heat them up n twat em with a hammer am sure someone will tell u the right way tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) how can I remove lower ball joint(Manta A) from control arm? do I need special tools for doing this? It is actually quite simple, but prepare to get the heat There are several ways to do it, and i think that you can even buy some tool to press them out. But i have always done it like this: Find a snap on spanner top that will fit over the balljoint socket, but will not touch the control arm. Fit this on top of the ball joint. Jack up the lower arm so it has a solid basis and cannot move downwards. Now find the biggest god damn hammer you can find (sledge) and hit it until it fall out. You can heat it if you want, but it is not a must. If you have the control arm out of the car, you can press it out using a vice if you are lucky. But i have never had succes with this as they are often very much stuck in there. When you mount the new one, you should just mount it and let gravity take its toll When mounted you can give it some small taps with a hammer from the bottom up if it doesnt go all the way in. But remember to fasten the nut after doing this, and after it has been standing a little make sure to control the nut !! Oh a last remark. If you are not re-using the old balljoint, you can just give it with the hammer directly, you can also use some sort of iron rod to beat around the edges. But be carefull not to hit the control arm, or make the balljoint twist out of the hole as this can make the hole oval instead...!!! Edited June 7, 2011 by monzta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marius Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) many thanks I thougt that should work with a hammer but wasn't so shure about this I bought upper and lower ball joints but seems that lower ones are from manta B and they do not match .The diameter of the pin taper is bigger than on manta A. How can I go around this problem? Can the pin taper be machined to fiit A series stub axel? Edited June 7, 2011 by marius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 many thanks I thougt that should work with a hammer but wasn't so shure about this I bought upper and lower ball joints but seems that lower ones are from manta B and they do not match .The diameter of the pin taper is bigger than on manta A. How can I go around this problem? Can the pin taper be machined to fiit A series stub axel? Oops, thats a tricky one as the inside is excentric in shape ! It should be possible but it must be extremly precise, and should be done by someone who really know what they are doing.! My suggestion is to find a set for the A series car instead and sell the ones from the B series again. That would be my choice. I know DrManta has the balljoints on stock, otherwise they are for sale on ebay.de for 24 Euros pro stück http://cgi.ebay.de/Opel-Manta-A-Ascona-A-Tragarmgelenk-unten-/130522992665?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item1e63c6d019#ht_500wt_715 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marius Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) yes that would be the best way to go they are not so expensive but it ushually takes a month to came from Germany and with taxes and delivery costs 2 ball joints would be around 100 euros here manta b stub axel is the same as manta a exept that lower tapered hole? maybe I could use some manta b stub axel and solve the problem Edited June 7, 2011 by marius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Well everything is possible of course, and a "out of the box" solution sometimes let you discover advantages you never had any idea existed before, so go for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marius Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) I hope that they will fit i do some search here on the forum but can't find the answer if they are the same (exept that lower hole) Edited June 8, 2011 by marius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Well knowing that Opel has re-used parts for decades it wouldn´t suprise me if they were the same, maybe even also from Commodore A and B ? The biggest difference on the front axle assemblies on the A and B series would be the rollbar and the shock mountings that differ quite alot. If they fit let us know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldoradoCoupe Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The correct way to do this is to remove the control arm and put it it a press. A piece of large pipe just big enough to fit around the under side of the ball joint should be used as a support and a suitable socket to fit over the stub on the top. Press it out like this and you won't bend or damage the lower arm which is likely to happen by twatting it with a large hammer as suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marius Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 yes of course i will let you know, maybe I got lucky in the meantime and find the original ball joints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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