In an effort to eliminate a front-end clunk when steering, I installed a new Moog track bar. The toughest part of the process is removing the ball joint from the frame mount. The ball joint is pressed into a tapered hole in the bracket, and this bracket makes it impossible to use a pitman arm puller.

Instead, a pickle fork (or “ball joint separator”) must be used. I found that the only way to get sufficient impact was to use wire cutters and snip away the rubber boot. Then, by either removing the driver’s side wheel or turning it to the left, it’s possible to get the pickle fork at a good angle on the joint. This gave me enough room to get the four-pound sledge hammer up to speed, and the joint popped free after a couple of whacks.

When installing or removing the trackbar, it’s important to raise the body of the vehicle, then adjust the relative height of the axle using a jack. This allows you to align the axle-side mount correctly, avoiding unnecessary interference and friction. Without this step, it will be easy to snap the bolt.