'Homemade' RTAB and Rear Ball Joint Tools

[DrWu]

Finally finishing up a rear suspension rebuild on my e36m in preparation for spring and the track season. What started as simply RTAB replacement quickly spiraled out of control into 4x ball joints and adjustable control arms.

For those in the Northeast whose cars have had the unfortunate experience of exposure to salt, the option of using 3/8" threaded rod from the local Home Depot as the puller doesn't end well. In order for threaded rod to work it would need to be hardened, not merely the zinc coated crap. When completing the rear ball joint replacement on my e39 I was able to use hardened the rods from a spring compressor as the ball joint bore is larger than the e36's.

My recipe for success included:
Advance Auto Parts 23 piece ball joint kit: P/N 648617 (rent for free)
3 jaw puller
1.25" cast iron pipe cap (steel will bend)
Large washer

RTAB removal:
Hammer away the flange if you have the older style OEM RTAB
Use small pusher and larger receiver (self explanatory). You'll need short length pieces as the length of the clamp isn't that long. No pic of this, sorry.

RTAB install:
Use cup that just fits over the rubber of the RTAB
Place washer over the opening of the cup
Insert RTAB through-bolt through the washer and into the RTAB's sleeve
There is a dimple on the through-bolt where the nipple of the puller's rod will land perfectly. This keeps everything aligned when installing so as to not bind the RTAB. See pic for details

Ball joint removal:
Use small pusher and larger receiver (self explanatory). None of the cups in the kit are sized perfectly to allow for compressive force on the sleeve. Instead I just pushed on the ball joint itself (destroys ball joint but is effective).

Ball joint install:
Install cast iron cap over new ball joint's rubber bushing (perfect size for this and lands on the sleeve nicely)
Install pushing cap from kit over cast iron cap, select receiving cup large enough to accept the ball joint
I unbolted the dust shield to gain additional access but you could theoretically just bend it back to gain enough working space. See 2nd pic for details

The eccentric bolt on the lower ball joints was frozen to the ball joint's sleeve. I had to grind one side out while the other I beat with a 4lb hammer until the ball separated from the sleeve

Hopefully this helps someone down the line!

[K1118]

+1. i did my rtabs a couple of weeks back and used pretty much the same tools, the ball joint tool from Advance auto, and a 2 jaw puller.

[jmo69]

Did my RTABs summer before last, put in urethanes. Out with an air chisel, in by hand and no pre tensioning even have a rust belt car.

[zachdude1100]

Or drill holes in the rubber, pull out the center, cut the band with a hacksaw. For ball joints, just hit where it goes thru, or use a pickle fork if you're trashing it anyway.

[bluptgm3]

For ball joints, just hit where it goes thru, or use a pickle fork if you're trashing it anyway.

For the rear suspension spindle attach ball joints?


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[jmo69]

For the rear suspension spindle attach ball joints?


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used my trusty air chisel for them too, threaded rod, socket, washers, flat stock and a pipe cap for the install.