1988 Ford F-150 upper and lower ball joints

BAREFOOTBOB88

MEMBER
1988 FORD F-150

Two weeks ago my truck started to shake a bit at cruising speeds. (40-60mph). Then it went away. But now It shakes so bad that my dashboard almost flys apart. So I jacked it up and gave the front wheels a shake. The lower ball joints definitely need replaced. Theres pry an inch of play. So I figured I might as well replace the upper and lower ball joints. I know that either the top or the bottom one is factory pressed in. My question is how does one go about replaceing the one thats pressed in. Or can a do-it-yourself person do it? I've changed ball joints before but it's been a while and I don't think I've been lucky enough to change one that was pressed in. Of course I've never work on I-Beam suspension before either. Help would be greatly appreciated. :)

2 Replies

CATCH_15

MECHANIC
250 POSTS

Harbor Freight Tools sells a kit that you can use to install new ball joints. It is a gray plastic case that says 3-in-one service kit.

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Monday, November 20th, 2006 AT 10:19 PM

BAREFOOTBOB88

MEMBER
60 POSTS

Thanks for your input. The only problem with ordering something from harbor frieght is that I may not get it until next year the way they are sometimes. I'll look and see if I can find it there though. I had almost forgot about harbor frieght.