I suspect that the Air Force has tech manuals for everything you do.
Start by getting some sort of a service manual, even if it's just a general chilton automotive repair manual.
Put the torch aside and don't even think about it.
You can't swing a 3lb under there but you can use it as a back-up behind the knuckle and hit the front with a smaller hammer.
Put the helmet on your reputation and just wrap a chain around the spring and A arm. If the spring should jump, the chain will coral that energy.
I have always used a pickle fork if I was replacing the joints or the hammers if I wanted to inflict less damage. I've never used a torch.
Last year I replaced the ball joints on my Vette. With aluminum A arms and aluminum spindles, none of those are an option, ever. The Vette service manual and most other service manuals show the use of a spreader, between the ball joints such as Wrenchbender mentioned. I would have never believed how easy this tool works.
[img]
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/jpg/small/0900823d8012b760.jpg[/img]
You back off the ball nut one turn, then turn the tool about a half turn. Pop, and it's loose. Actually it's more like a light thump, because with this method it is only moving about one thread.
I had no idea there to buy one so I made my own from an old brake rod. I even had a hard time finding a picture of one on the internet to show you. That picture came from Autozone's excellent article on how to replace the ball joints. Take a look.
It would make one hell of a tech article for this forum, but I'm sure permission would have to be addressed.
Autozone tech article
