[TR] Reconnecting ball joint and vertical link

[Randall]

> I tried using a jack under the spring pan, but the alignment 
> between the ball joint and vertical link is quite a bit off 
> and requires a lot of tugging on the wheel

You lost me here.  Are you trying to do this with the road wheel installed?  Or are you tugging on the steering wheel?  If the
steering wheel is involved, my suggestion would be to disconnect the tie rod from the steering arm, so you don't have to deal with
the VL having to turn as it moves into position.

> to get it to come 
> even somewhat close fitting. In the end, the upper wishbone 
> moves up before I'm able to force the link into the ball joint.

So if I understand this; you have the ball joint assembled to the upper wishbones (aka A-arms), and the pin of the ball joint does
not line up with the hole in the vertical link.  Correct?  

At this point, with either a jack or the rebound stop supporting the spring pan, the vertical link should be free to pivot towards
and away from the shock tower, so you should be able to just hold it lined up in that axis.  If the VL won't pivot on the trunnion,
then there is something wrong with the trunnion (like perhaps the end plates are too tight or the pin is bent).

And it should be held in-line in the fore-aft direction, by the lower A-arms and trunnion.  If you have a significant fore-aft
misalignment, then something is bent or the wrong trunnion is installed.  Early TR4 with the ball joint that has two pins (one into
the VL, the other into the A-arms) take the zero-degree trunnion; while later cars with the two bolts to hold the ball joint to the
A-arms take the 3-degree trunnion.  The 3 degree trunnions are also "handed"; so you can have the wrong one of those as well.  

Randall