Steering rack ball joint removal

[Grant83]

I've got the tie rods and bellows off my rack and out of the car but the ball joints are confounding me, 73 240z. The locknuts don't want to move. They look like they are tack welded in four places around the joint, little depressions in the sleeve just outside the nut. the rack has an inner nut and bushing are these just adjusters for total rack movement,? The inner bushing and nut are on a smaller diameter thread than the ball joint and the threading for the ball joint, the larger diameter is milled flat. Any reason for this? If i move thus inner bushing and nut in towards center I can get a purchase on the milled area for the larger threads. I just don't want to beat on this lock ring any harder or destroy the faces on the lock ring.

[tlorber]

Can you provide some pictures?

[Jetaway]

I've got the tie rods and bellows off my rack and out of the car but the ball joints are confounding me, 73 240z. The locknuts don't want to move. They look like they are tack welded in four places around the joint, little depressions in the sleeve just outside the nut. the rack has an inner nut and bushing are these just adjusters for total rack movement,? The inner bushing and nut are on a smaller diameter thread than the ball joint and the threading for the ball joint, the larger diameter is milled flat. Any reason for this? If i move thus inner bushing and nut in towards center I can get a purchase on the milled area for the larger threads. I just don't want to beat on this lock ring any harder or destroy the faces on the lock ring.

Assuming a 73 is the same as a 72:

And assuming I'm understanding you correctly:

This short thread may be of use:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45606&highlight=rack

Chris

[Grant83]

the whole ball joint came off in one piece, the lock ring on the outiside of the ball joint is peened or welded. I was successful removing the whole joint by wrenching on the milled threads after the bushing and nut that tension the whole joint were loosened inward giving me access to the larger diameter threads that were milled flat. The manuals descriptions were quite misleading. Oh well one small hurdle down mountains to go.