Spindle removal tips

[mjdwyer23]

Hey Everybody-
I'm removing my stock spindles to put in the blazer ones. Is there a trick to getting the spindle separated from the bottom two bolts? i got the top one off (and popped in tubular uppers while I was at it) but the bottom ones are proving to be more difficult. Thanks!

 

[86TexasT]

The easiest way to do it is put the vehicle on jackstands. Of course remove front wheels, disconnect the tie rod first so you can turn the spindle freely. Take out the cotter keys & loosen both upper & lower ball joint nuts about 1/2" each. Hit the spindle at the ball joint with a large hammer. Let the coil spring help separate the spindle from the ball joint studs. After they separate, put a floor jack under the lower control arm near the lower ball joint, jack up just enough to take nuts off. Spindle will lift right off. I was a tech for 20 years, I`ve learned from experience.

 

[mjdwyer23]

Ok, I got the upper ball joint separated but I didn't unhook the tie rod first. It's stuck on there pretty good. I had the car on stands and a jack under the lca from the beginning. Should I rehook the upper ball joint and try it again? Any tips for undoing rusty brake fittings?

 

[daveSS1987]

Hi, did this last year with my El Camino. Better put the top ball joint back on, and just finger tighten the nut to hold the spindle. Then you should be able to take off the tie rod and lower ball joint nuts. then do what Robert said and lower the jack and bang on the steering knuckle and it should pop right out.
As far as removing rusty brake lines, if they are too rusty to remove with a flare nut wrench you had better replace the rubber line, and if necessary the steel brakelines can be replaced with stainless steel ones. If you are going to replace the lines anyway use vice grips to squash the old rusty ones and twist them off.
Hope that helps.
Dave

 

[mjdwyer23]

Great info, thanks guys! Where can I get new stainless lines? Am I asking for more trouble?

 

[daveSS1987]

Stainless steel lines

I got mine here:
Inline Tube - Preformed Stainless & OEM Brake Line Sets
They are very nice, easy to install - hardest thing is removing the old clips bolted to the frame, it's a dirty job. When I installed mine I also went with the Russells braided lines, the El Camino ones I ordered fit right on the S-10 Extreme calipers.
The stainless steel lines are worth the extra money, should last the life of your car! Just be sure you don't cross thread the nuts, the only problem that I had was that I cross threaded the line between the Russell line and Stainless steel line and stripped the thread, it kept leaking brake fluid. I tried to get a new nut and re-flare it but the stainless steel needs a special flare tool, and they have the bubble flare, not the standard double flare, so I ended up buying another SS line to fix the problem that was my own doing.
Dave

 

[mjdwyer23]

Damn $$$! Can I order just the part I need? i was considering the braided lines too, what is the pn for them? Thanks again, how do you like the s10 setup?

 

[daveSS1987]

Like it good! Stops hard with a slight touch of the pedal! I also put on new Hawk pads, got those & the braided lines from Summitt, was not cheap but worth it in my oppinion. You can buy just the front stainless lines, but it's half the price of buying the whole set, and the back ones are about 3 times longer than the fronts, so it's worth it to buy the whole set while you have it all apart, since if you buy the Russell kit you will get a braided rear hose as well. I still have not installed the rear hose (I installed the ss lines a few years ago and used a new rubber one at that time, the rear is kind of a pain to get to unlike the front ones.) So if you can save up to get all the lines at once then it will be easier to do it all at once, and only have to bleed the brakes once as well.
Dave

 

[mjdwyer23]

Cool. So if I get the Russell braided lines I won't need any adapters? BTW I have 99 blazer 2wd spindles/brakes.

 

[daveSS1987]

Yes, get the lines to match your veichle, not the calipers on the new spindles. The majority of guys reading this will want to get the Regal/Monte Carlo/Malibu lines, these have the same part # but I don't remember what it was. Look it up on Summitracing.com or jegs.com. The side that attaches to the caliper is common to all GM calipers by the looks of it, just reuse the banjo bolt from the calipers & put on the new copper washers supplied with the lines and you should have a leak free line.
Dave

 

[Mackinblack007]

The easiest way to do it is put the vehicle on jackstands. Of course remove front wheels, disconnect the tie rod first so you can turn the spindle freely. Take out the cotter keys & loosen both upper & lower ball joint nuts about 1/2" each. Hit the spindle at the ball joint with a large hammer. Let the coil spring help separate the spindle from the ball joint studs. After they separate, put a floor jack under the lower control arm near the lower ball joint, jack up just enough to take nuts off. Spindle will lift right off. I was a tech for 20 years, I`ve learned from experience.

thats how i did it, my first time, lol i was built for this ****!