85GPLef41 said:
The tool is nice because otherwise you need to pull the whole lower control arm and put it in the press but beware I have seen the cheap ones break.
It sounds to me like you purchased the oversize 1or 2 ball joints. I know when changing the lowers on my car the new ones I bought actually slid into the pocket almost by hand ( they were smooth on the sides ), so I returned them and bought the oversize 1, which had little splines on them. They went in with a little more force but I tack welded them in anyways.
The old trick for stubborn ball joints is a freezer, a torch, and BFH.
2 jacks or a lift and stand are needed and remember to remove the grease fitting from the balljoint. It really helps if you can put the balljoint in the freezer for a couple of hours beforehand
1 jack under the frame to raise the car
Settle it down on 1 jackstand under the lower control arm ( with the ball joint removed and enough tension to hold the spring in place) heat up the socket and LCA area the ball joint sits with the torch until good and hot ( not quite red-hot )
Once the area is good and hot slide the ball joint in place from underneath followed by a solid 4x4 block on your 2nd jack.
Continue to raise this 2nd jack it up until you have lifted the car off the jackstand ( but leave it there for safety ) and lower the jack under the frame so 99% of the cars weight is on the balljoint and 4x4 block.
Take you BFH and hit the LCA around the balljoint area until it settles in place. You will actually hear the sound of the get deeper when the balljoint seats itself. I watched my freinds dad who is a mechanic do this for many many years with a 10lb sledge on a 12" handle, worked every time.
