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Don't seperate that joint..undo the 3 bolts that hold the lower ball joint to the lower arm,much easier and you probably won't get the shocks out if you just undo the top ball joint.

Why don't you remove the bottom instead?

Leave the ball joint attached to the upright, and remove the bolt that holds the upright to the lower arm. Unbolt the shock, prise the lower arm down a bit and you will see a second bolt hidden inside the arm. Undo that bolt and the upright will slide out of the lower arm without removing either balljoint.

Of course if you've buggered one of the boots it'll have to be sorted eventually

V-Spec wrote:Any clues on how I'm going to separate the upper A arm from the hub? Seeing as though I got impatient, used the fork and busted up that upper boot, it looks like it's going to need replacing in the near future.

Yeah.....you give it to a mechanic, and then walk very far away so that you can't hear the sounds he will make when he hits it with a really big hammer

Another method - remove the long bolt at the inner end of the lower control arm. Requires removing the plastic engine pan and unbolting the front sway, but very easy nonetheless.

If the fork thing didn't work you just have to whack it with a big hammer,it is a tapered shaft,sometimes you will have to put something solid behind it while you hit the other side so it gets a good shock.

For some reason I can never seperate the top ball joint on NB's. A quick tap with a hammer and the NA's fall to pieces.

Hmmm...what sort of coilovers are those?

Nah, just didn't recognise them, that's all

V-Spec wrote:If I wind the helper spring up will that raise the ride height?

Anything that changes the pre laod on either of the springs will change the ride height.