Ok, this is actually on my commuter car ( 2000 Pontiac grand Prix 3.8 FWD ) but I thought this was an appropriate place to put it



can tell the ball joints need replacing as I can hear it when turning. Now I’m reading through the Chiltons and see a little snag... the Chiltons and it says to get the ball joints off the control arm use a 'ball joint type press tool" which napa has for $300+ so I don't really want to pay that... now I was thinking about taking the whole control arm of the car and taking it to the machine shop I use to see if they could does this part of the job for me... over the phone they say they do press ball joints and I was curious to see if any of you all have had any experience with kind of job and how much work / time it would take to get that control arm or and also about how much you think it would cost at the machine shop..

 

Wouldn't do this without the proper tools. It's quite easy to bend and/or mutilate your a-arms.
Shouldn't take a shop more then an hour. So what ever the shop rate is per hour.

 

I bought a $99 hydraulic press from Harbor Freight, and have done quite a few sets with it. It paid for itself the first time I used it. You'll just need some short pieces of pipe (that the ball joint will fit inside of) to support the control arm with while pressing, go slow, and make sure it stays straight. I used a C clamp type ball joint press too, but it takes a lot more muscle.

 

As stated go to your local autozone and you can rent any tools you need for free.
I used their rental services to do my entire suspension.