My front lower ball joints need to be replaced. A mechanic said it may only make sense to do the lower and not the upper as well depending on the setup.

Thoughts? Should I do both at the same time or just lower?

 

How long do you plan on keeping your truck? If indefinitely, do you want to ever think about having to do ball joints again, or just be done with it now? It's a little labor intensive to do, and it's the same job all over again to do the tops. You might even think about doing CV joints while your there; your truck isn't getting any younger. Some people just fix what needs fixing, some do everything that they can for peace of mind.. It's a conundrum.

 

""Some people just fix what needs fixing""

Which is exactly why our beloved little 4x4's are in such sad shape when we get them. Go ahead and do tops and bottoms. They've both endured the same stresses.

 

Ditto... Both of my lower ball joint's rubber covers were disintegrated so I went ahead and replaced uppers and lowers.
It was a PITA but I'm glad I got it done all in one swoop.

 

Do both. Parts are cheap and the additional time/labor is negligent if you are in that far.

Also, I don't see how you can press out the lowers without removing the uppers first. It may be possible - just not the way I did it.

This job can be a real challenge - speaking from experience