rear coffin arm removal

[Mike Blaszczak]

Hey everyone!

I have a 1999 Carrera 4 Coupe with about 98000 miles on it.

I'm rebuilding the suspension. Everything in the rear is off, except for the lower "coffin arm" control arm. I've removed the eccentric bolt, as well as the bolt on the ball-joint over the wheel carrier.

But I can't figure out how to get the arm out of the wheel carrier. The ball joint tool I have doesn't fit; it feels like it's legs are too narrow to go over the boot side of the joint.

I bought some pickle forks, and I can hammer them in over the boot side of the ball joint. At a certain point, though, they just stop. More hammering doesn't loosen the joint, nor does it advance the fork further into the joint.

Is there a trick to this? A special tool?

[Mike Blaszczak]

I did it! \o/

 

I don't think my three-finger ball joint remover is wide enough. The pickle forks moved the rubber boot over the ball, off the shaft. That as enough to more carefully get the fingers around the shaft so that the top finger was centered (or more than centered) over the threaded end, and they poped out.

 

Thank you, everyone, for believing in me!

[Yogibara]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:47 PM, Mike Blaszczak said:

I did it! \o/

 

I don't think my three-finger ball joint remover is wide enough. The pickle forks moved the rubber boot over the ball, off the shaft. That as enough to more carefully get the fingers around the shaft so that the top finger was centered (or more than centered) over the threaded end, and they poped out.

 

Thank you, everyone, for believing in me!

I know I'm late to the party on this one but I had the same problem. I used a flame wrench and a pickle fork.  I did a 2-part video series on replacing the suspension on a C2 Cab. on my YT Channel.