Captain Morgan

I have one bad lower ball joint on the '79 and I was curious as to the difficulty of replacement. Is it one of those while-I'm-in-there jobs, or can I just replace the one ball joint and be okay? If there is other stuff I should do, what is it? I was reading the manual and I'm not completely sure that I want to tackle this on my own. It says the ball joints are riveted in place. Do any of you have any recommendations or tips for me if I do the work myself?

Thanks,

GTR1999

A lot depends on what you want to do. If you just want it fixed then replace the ball joint. It can be done with the control arms on the car. If you are going to keep the car, I would go through the control arms and change the bushings and joints. Get a front kit and replace the tie rod ends,idler arm and you should be good to go. You will have to remove the arms to do this though.
Gary

terryrudy

Definitely get a front end rebuild kit and do the whole job right. Most likely everything could be shot up there. I used an air chisel to take out the rivets. Overall, the job was time consuming but not overly difficult. I'm sure the forum here can help you out if you encounter any problems. If you ever thought about upgrading your Vette, now is the time to think about getting some 550 front springs, shocks, poly bushings, etc.
good luck
-terry

killain

It's not hard to replace the ball joint. You'll need a floor jack, stand and a hammer and sharp chisle, some wrenches and about two hours in time. If it were me, I'd replace the other side as well. They were both installed at the same time, so they more than likely are going to be worn out as a pair. IMHO

Captain Morgan

I might not have read far enough into the book, but what do I replace the rivets with? If I use new rivets, how do I install them?

DavidOrr

The new ball joints will come with a set of bolts to put in place of the rivets.

SharkAttack

Given the age of you car and the strong possibility of near-equal wear on the other side, I would rebuild the entire front end while you're there. I have not replaced mine (yet), but helped friends with theirs and we successfully drilled-out the factory rivets with a good quality bit.