Hi guys, I'm a long term "frequenter" of this forum for valuable information but this is my first post.

I have an '01 Ram 1500 2WD with the riveted ball joints. I'm replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends and installing a leveling kit. So far, the tear down went as expected...2" spacers went in fine...but now I'm at the point where I am trying to get those stupid rivets out. I am using an air hammer with a flat/straight blade and it is just taking forever. Is there a difference in brands/types of bits/chisels because after 20 minutes of blasting I am probably 1/4 of the way through one rivet?

Has anyone found a quicker way to blast the rivets off or is it just going to take hours to do it?

 

Get a drill that is just a bit larger than the body of the rivet. (not the head. Prolly something like 1/4 inch.) Center punch the head of the rivet, and then drill down into it. You can either completely pop the head that way, or, get enough removed, that the air hammer will knock it right off. Use a punch style bit in the air hammer, to knock the rivets out.

I used a sharp chisel bit on the balljoint rivets on the GM vehicles that use the same setup.... I was able to blow them right off, all four in less than ten minutes.

 

Jeez this sounds familiar!

I used up to a 3/8" bit, start off with around 1/8", you don't have to drill all the way through before they'll pop off with an air hammer, about 1/4" of the way or so.

I had air tools too problem was the only air chisel we had wouldn't keep an edge anymore and it's harder to cut through with a dull chisel.

I torqued all the nuts down to 95ft. lbs. and installed the bolts on the bottom so the nuts would be facing up, seems easier to me.

Be sure to grease them!

 

thanks guys, I'll give drilling a try. I've even considered grinding and X in the rivet so I'm not trying to blast the entire rivet off in one piece.

When you say, "grease them" I assume so are referring to ball joints with a grease fitting. The new ones I have do not have a grease fitting...my wallet overulled my wish list.

 

Yes I mean grease your new ball joints. What brand did you buy? I got DuraLast from Autozone, about $54 a joint and they have a limited lifetime replacement warranty AND are grease-able.

If you have access to a grinder with a cutoff wheel you can grind down the rivet head and drilling a little into the rivet is a lot easier.

I did the driver side myself, took nearly 9 hours, did the passenger side with a brother in law took about 7, and that included installing new brake pads for both sides.

Edit: I'm curious do your bottom ball joints have up and down play? Meaning can you take the ball joint stud and move it up and down?

 

I ended up grinding the rivet heads off and then popping the rivets by a combination of air hammer and good ole' fashioned persuasion. Boy was that a chore! It took most of the day to get the old ***** removed and get everything installed and tightened back up, just for the passenger side.

I'm pretty happy with the Rough Country 2" spacers. I was concerned by their appearance (they appear to only be 1") but they produced 2" as advertised. Now I just have to muster up the energy to do the other side and the rear block lift.

Since I have owned this truck, the steering wheel has been off center (meaning it is perpetually tuned to the left when going straight). Now that I am replacing the tie rod ends, is it possible to straighten the wheel and reset the tie rods based on that setting...since I am going to have to get an alignment anyway? I assume I can just lenghten one and shorten the other tie rod to achieve a straight steering wheel and eyeball the alignment temporarily???

 

I would just put them in and let the shop take care of the alignment.

 

They will adjust by setting tie rods.

 

Got both sides finished, 2" lift front and back and everything greased up. Thanks for all of the help and ideas on those stupid rivets.

Now that I've got the coil spacers in, is it normal for the front end to be so stiff. I anticipated a stiffer ride than before (due to spacers versus longer coils) but I can barely move the front end when pushing down on the bumper....?

My stock length shocks appear to be a tad short too. When I hit a decent bump I heard what sounded like the front passenger side over extending. Could the shock being extended too far have anything to do with the rigidity? I assume the only thing negatively impacted by shock being slightly short would be the rebound. Either way, they are gonna have to get replaced.

 

If the lower bolts aren't TIGHT, you will get some noise out of the front end.

It's a truck.... spacers don't change spring rate. They are stiff by design.