Chris,

It's not worth buying the extensive press set needed if you can drop
the parts by a tire store, as I did, and let the mechanic do it on his
lunch hour. I paid about $20 cash, maybe less. Shop around, a tire
store just a mile away wanted $70 (going by their book) for a vanagon
front end.

You can also rent the proper kit from your FLAPS, but I'm tellin' ya,
20 dollars for out and in is better than buying a tool you may never
use again, and less than the hassle of renting and figuring out for
yourself how to use the rented tool and its myriad adapters. There's a
good writeup about what tool to rent and how to use it in the
archives, IIRC. Write me if you can't find it, I think I saved it, if
you go that route.

I'm all for doing one's own work and all, but I like to take advantage
of situations where somebody already owns an expensive tool, knows how
to use it, and wants to make a few bucks.

I went to an NTB, I'm sure you have those in Atlanta.

Jim

On Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 5:34 PM, Chris S <szpejankowski@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have complete set of '89 uprights with complete brake assemblies
> which I wish to transplant to my '84. The trick is that I need to R&R
> the lower balljoints. The ball joint tools from FLAPS are basically
> useless and I can't press them out. �What sort of magic do I need to
> perform short of taking them to a machine shop? � I did the V-dub
> finger signs and a few chants in German to no avail.
>
> --
> Chris S.
> Disclaimer: "Death and serious injury may occur"
>