so I am thinking about putting a ball joint on stupie.  Maybe even splurge and do 2 of them.  What steps do I need to do?  Scwish the spring,  then undo the ball joint.  IS it easy of a real pain in the bottom?  SC

Here's the best place to go for advice and parts on Stuper Beetle front ends:

http://www.toplineparts.com/default.html

Ok,  so I get the spring squsiher from autozone,   Order a $25 ball joint.  
Remove the leather glove and and nylon ties I wrapped around the shaky ball joint.
Bada bing bada boom.   replace .    I dont need a press or anything do I?

Zen TOpline had the parts but I did not see any instructions

Zen,  I have a hammer  .   Why do I need a grinder?   I better look at this again.  Do you think I should let a shop change it?  I hate to let other men touch my stupie.  SC

Zen,  I have a hammer  .   Why do I need a grinder?

'Cause you don't have a press.  The best way to get ball joints (and the bushing on the other end of the arm) out is to have someone with the proper tools and skills to press them out and press the new ones back in.  If you use the urethane bushings, you don't have to have them pressed in like the stock bushings, but you still have to get the original bushing out.

If you MUST do it yourself, take the arm off, grind the bottom off the joint and knock the guts (the ball/stud) out of it.  Then you can use a die grinder and carefully grind a slot in the side of the outer part of the joint.  If you don't have a die grinder, I have assembled a hack saw with the blade upside down and running through the joint and cut through it that way.  Where there's a will, there's a way.  OK, maybe not a good way, but there's a way.  You want to cut through the wall of the joint, but not touch the arm it's pressed into.  If you can do that, it releves the stress on the joint and it's pretty easy to tap it out with a hammer.  If you can find something the right size to lay it on and the right size to fit against the back of the joint, and you are VERY careful and VERY lucky, you can drive the new joint back into the arm without damaging it or bending the arm.

Here's a better way:  Listen to Ret.Bugtech!  There's a reason most people pay a good mechanic to replace ball joints.  Do it yourself and you'll know why.   :wink:

Which ever way you do it, you MUST (I don't mean should, I mean MUST) take it to a GOOD alignment shop and get the front end lined up when your done.  If you are not going to have it aligned, don't bother working on it at all.  You won't be able to hold it in the road if you don't.

If you do it right, a Stuper Beetle can one of the best handling cars you've ever driven.  But if anything is the least bit out of whack, it'll let you know!

Ditch the gloves and wire ties and spring for new joints and bushings . . . and any other parts that show any sign of wear.  Make sure the wheels and tires are perfectly round, have no radial run out and are perfectly ballanced.  Bolt on some lowering struts and drop it about an inch to an inch and half.  Bolt on a strut tower brace to keep the body from flexing.  Have it aligned when you get through.  Find a winding back road and take off.  Except for the lack of power, you'll think you're driving a new sports car.   :wink:

Dang Zen, You don't think SC is going to do all of that do you ?

Of course he will!  :wink:

Well its my birth day this month so I  got a ball joint. 27 bucks at the shop in Dalton.  Whoopee.   I took all your advice.  then decided to do it myself.  From the looks of things  this might be easier since its a sooper beatnik.   I got the 3 upper bolts loose the bottom one is being stuborn and is about to be drilled out. I love working on Stupie when its drizzleing outside.  I need a garage.   I have one question.   Will the strut and coil spring burst through my chest  when I get the bolts removed?.    Sc