Can you replace the lower oem ball joint without removing the axle assembly. Can you just separate the upper and lower ***** and have enough room to press out old and press in new?

 

The upper isn't difficult to do. Just drill out the rivets (if OEM) and replace with bolts. You can do it with the axle in place.

The lower, it's tight. You'll need to disconnect the spindle and then keep it and the axle out of the way. The press will likely get in the way.

 

When I did mine, I discovered it was the uppers that were worn. The lowers were still in decent shape, but I changed them anyway.

 

Same here. I've put two sets of uppers on the truck, still the OEM lowers. It surprises me every time I check them.

 

101k on the truck and I'm doing tops and bottoms and bushings. Never done this before so the first side is the learning curve.
I could not pop the lower with the fork ,so I used the sawzall and cut it.