Started this today. OMG!! This is a p.i.t.a.!!!!!
Only thing that's going well so far is when I replaced these 5 years ago (& about 30,000 miles) is member Motorcarman said to install the bolt towards the rear of the car from the bottom up, with the nut on top. "It makes it easier if it needs to be removed in the future, and who knows it may be YOU!"
WELL it is me and glad for the advice. Other than that, 6 1/2 hours in and still not done, smfh. Every bolt and nut that could give me problems has. If I could have crawled into my house I would have I'm in so much pain. Did I mention f u c k cancer?
Attached the pics so far, yup it's definitely bad.




I tried to upload a little video of moving the ball joint, but this site won't let me. It wiggles with thumb and forefinger REALLY easily = not good.

 

I've got nothing specific for you Dell but big hammers, big pickle forks, lots of penetrating oil, cheater bars, etc have made suspension problems easier for me than a lot of little stuff that gets rusted and breaks off here in the northeast where we put salt on the roads 3 months a year. I replaced suspension arms with ball joints already attached rather than try and replace ball joints individually because it seemed easier and not much more expensive. Check Rock Auto. I know they are cheap aftermarket and won't last 100k miles but neither will we.

You have been a great resource here an I am pulling for you. **** cancer, especially yours.

 

Yup, I bought a new arm as well. Removing (my current p.i.t.a.) the arm, then drilling out the rivets to replace with a ball joint only kit seemed to me counterintuitive for the little cost difference of the entire arm. Just 30,000 miles seems remarkably short a time for the last one to fail (again 5 years but only 30,000 miles). I'll attach a Pic of the finally removed arm and there is pretty significant deterioration in that time. I guess, as with your area, the damn salt they use here in Utah is horribly corrosive.




I just for the life of me I can't get the new part back in. It's just being a right pig about it.

 

Forgive my ignorance but is the salt there in Utah from treating the roads for snow and ice? Or salt from the salt flats and Salt Lake?

I bought a beautiful car once from a guy who lived under a mile from the Atlantic ocean but far enough south that it was warm and they never treated the roads with sand or salt. I was shocked to find out how just the salt in the air had turned the whole frame, suspension, etc to rust. Learned that lesson after I bought the car of course.