I hear that. The cold outside and my fever and the darkness of night wouldn't have been so bad, had one nut been next to impossible to remove when I did mine. One of the ball sockets was so loose and the nut seized that the entire thing rotated when I loosened the nut. I had to use a torch, and pound in and wedge a tie rod separator to keep the joint from spinning. When that barely worked, I finally cut a channel in the end of the tie rod so I could hold it with a screwdriver while I loosened the nut.
If I remember correctly. I may have been delusional with fever though.

 

I know what its like to be old and busted up in the northeast. i just replaced both of mine last week, they drop right out with a pickle fork. Line the new ones up center to center you should have any problems.