can't get out ball joint

[misterRollsRoycer]

98 lesabre, lower front end ball joint replacement: I guess you'd call it the newer ball joints. It's not the control arm assembly with ball joint. But the bolt-on kind of ball joint. Don't know if need better torque, but can't get this out. Most older ball joints to go on the car are riveted. This is not. Haynes shows me a picture of the new bolt-on ball joint to go on, but only has instructions for drilling out the old ball joint which is riveted. Aside from that, the three bolts to undo around this existing ball joint Haynes, and even in videos, says to either get the whole control arm off, or as noted in Haynes, "...disconnect the end of the stabilizer bar where it goes into control arm." So right on that sway bar link, where you need two wrenches at once, I tried to undo the bottom bolt. COULD NOT GET IT! Is it more torque or what. Do I need to get under the car more? I had two jack stands underneath front end of engine cradle. Should I raise them even more? That's if I need a better angle on a long breaker bar or something. Used penetrating oil and everything. What should I do? Since I can't get a 15mm socket head on any of the three mounting bolts of ball joint, what should I do? I guess use box wrench to hold bolt on top and ratchet to bottom side, the nut, until it comes off? I see no reason of shearing off any of the bolts or drilling them. Is there something I'm missing?
All help is much appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[HotZ28]

You are lucky to have bolts, rather than rivets! After applying penetrating oil, you may need to heat the bolts and use an air impact rated at least 250-lbs of torque to break them loose. IIRC, the bolts have Locktite applied OEM.

 

[misterRollsRoycer]

I know. That's what I kept thinking. Then, when getting them out came, it was like, 'I just want to drill those things out!' Thanks for reply. Will keep that in mind. One of things missing after getting as far as removing the cotter pin and undoing castellated nut was, while castellated nut still on ball jt. stud, I should have been able to tap it w/ hammer and get ball joint to compress back to orig. position or however it's supposed to contract- kind of jumps out or something-and then would have been able to pry knuckle off of it and get much better angle on those 3 bolts for ball joint. I'll see how it goes. I guess all that other undoing, of the stabilizer bar and such was just to have room when drilling out rivets if car has them and vice-versa for torqueing on way back down. Good call on the Locktite too!