Ball Joint Removal-Easy Job?

I can't offer any tips but would like to know if $400 is a reasonable price to pay for ball joint replacement on both front sides.

If that price includes parts, labor and a thrust alignment, its in line. Autozone cheap s*it ball joints are $39 a piece, times 4 is $156. the shop is going to mark up parts a bit. I would not want anything less than Moog, TRW or Federal Mogul parts in that order (best to acceptable).

The job can be done with out pulling the axles IF you have a ball joint press and the proper adaptors for it.. Assuming this is a 4X2. Weird as it is, the parts for the 4X4 are cheaper. 4X4 requires pulling brake rotors, and then spindles, so that drive axles can be pulled in order to get to the ball joints.

Whitelightning

I thought I'd give one last garage a try before junking it. The mechanic said the undercarriage is remarkably "dry" (whatever that means) for a truck this old. I didn't really agree; there was a lot of rust on the exhaust system. But this dude was kind and stuck back a gasket into the oil pan that was causing a leak and that originally caused him to tell me I must have a seal problem. And he didn't want any money for it, and I just "walked the truck in" off the street.

So I'd like to have him do the work, but he didn't mention replacing the axles. I have heard often that 4x2's are more complicated than

I have the Chilton's CD for the '94 Ranger, but the diagrams are really not that good--at least not for someone who isn't a professional mechanic. Are there any sites on the web with good illustrations of the suspension/steering/everything-else?