Ball joints will not budge!!!!!

[Targus]

Okay, I have been trying to get these ball joints out for hours and these suckers just won't budge. THEY WILL NOT MOVE! Not ONE OF THEM!
I got this stupid C clamp tool and it is of no help at all.
I heed some help here and any tips would be a GREAT help to me.
Thank's in advance,
Mike

[TimGud]

The tool I like the best (and I have a good ball joint press) is one I made out of a real beefy black steel 4x4 spindle nut socket. I found a deep socket that fits over the ball joint shaft and use it to push the ball joint out while the spindle nut socket under it supports the torsion arm. I ground off the tabs that stick up, then ground out a crescent moon shape groove about 1/4" deep and about 1" long that allows the torsion arm to sit flush when reinstalling the balljoints and use it in a 30 ton press. This allows alot better control when reinstalling and alot more power than the c-clamp. The down side is you have to remove the torsion arms but that is easy enough to do. One other thing that can go wrong is you can totally destroy the torsion arm if you don't put the ball joint into the torsion arm straight and keep pushing and hoping it will straighten itself out.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=77308
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=77306

[Targus]

Thank's for the reply!
I swear, sometimes I don't know how I would get thru some of these crazy problems without you guys.
I checked out the tool you created and I'll wager it'll work just fine.
I think at this point that I'm just gonna pull the arms and take e'm to the machine shop. I'm just plain sick of thinking about it.
That C clamp tool is JUNK! All fellow Thing owners beware!
Thank's again,
Mike

[Carkid383]

Dont you just use a pickle fork or a hammer? or maybe I'm thinking of the wrong part.

[TimGud]

To get the joint out of the spindle you take off the nut and cotter pin and use a pickle fork, but then the joint must be pressed out of the torsion arm.