Hi
thinking i need to replace the ball joints but havent tested yet.
May do control arm bushins too. Any reason i cant do this in the driveway myself?
Im pretty good mechanically.
Now the contradiction, can I cheap out and change only that which proves to be in dis repair?
Current economic situation and all.
thanks for any comments. Russ

You don't say what model you're working on. Assuming an A or B body car, the short answer is yes, you can do it in your driveway. The lower ball joints and the strut rod bushings are basically bolt-in swaps. The upper ball joint requires a special socket and the contol arm bushings need some sort of press. An air chisel/hammer can be very useful as well. You will need to get an alignment after you've finished.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I did my upper control arm bushings with a vice and the right sized sockets that fit over the bushing. You can improvise with steel pipe if you have that handy.

If you get the offset type bushings be careful how you orient them in the arm. It comes with a diagram.

You can replace just the bad parts, but you won't know the condition of some of the parts until you get them out. Then, you'll have to wait for the replacements. I think it's a good idea to replace the set while you're in there.
Another thing to consider is how many times you want to take the suspension apart to replace bushings, etc.
This is an area of work prime for mission creep. I did my front end in conjunction with a disk brake swap and tire/wheel upgrade. Having a garage, spare vehicles, and access to some good shop tools made it easier.

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

Yeah if its at all possible you might want to wait until you can do everything at once because once you do half of it, you aren't gonna want to get back in there again for a long time. If you must just do some parts at a time, do the control arm bushings at the same time you do the ball joints. A special socket for them isn't necessary. Just remove the upper control arm and remove the bushings from it. Then turn it upside down and tighten the vice in on the ball joint. Then put a pipe or whatever you can through the control arm holes for leverage and turn the entire arm around and around until the ball joint comes off.

THANKS FOR THE REPLIES,
i guess ill save my dollars to do the complete job,all at once. The drivers side wheel has a slight inward pitch at the top, or at least it looks that way.
Car drives fine though, so it hasnt progressed to bad yet.
I save my money, but you know how that goes , always seems to be something that will steal your project money