17-06-2018, 11:32 PM
That mirrors my experience.
Start with the end that looks least rusty. I found i could get one moving with a pin punch through the bolt hole, then tapped it back. I then scraped the inside of the tube and tried again, finally dropping the tube on the back of the vice repeatedly. The second end is easy as you can pass a bar through the centre and drift it out.
A little work with a rat tail file restored the slightly fattened end of the tube to allow the new part in.
There are sometimes issues with the springs allowing too much movement of the ball, so you may need to pack and shim the end caps. A sash clamp aids re-assembly.
As for the ball section, Ruairidh posted a link for a small fork type ball joint splitter on a similar Facebook thread recently... He will hopefully do so here soon...
Start with the end that looks least rusty. I found i could get one moving with a pin punch through the bolt hole, then tapped it back. I then scraped the inside of the tube and tried again, finally dropping the tube on the back of the vice repeatedly. The second end is easy as you can pass a bar through the centre and drift it out.
A little work with a rat tail file restored the slightly fattened end of the tube to allow the new part in.
There are sometimes issues with the springs allowing too much movement of the ball, so you may need to pack and shim the end caps. A sash clamp aids re-assembly.
As for the ball section, Ruairidh posted a link for a small fork type ball joint splitter on a similar Facebook thread recently... He will hopefully do so here soon...