Control Arm/Ball Joint Replacement Advice - 850 '97

[bpwsource]

Hey All. Just fixed my A/C thanks to your expertise (for only $31.27!) and now I am moving onto my Control Arms... I have a feeling these will be a bit more difficult to replace than my A/C fix but I'm ready.

Here's my initial questions...

1.)
FCPGroton sells replacement control arms for $37.50 -

https://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/ ... ory_id/181

This seems pleasantly inexpensive... is this ok? Will they hold up?


2.)
The mechanic told me that only my passenger side balljoint needed replacing (and thus my passenger side control arm assembly) but should I replace BOTH sides or just the one that's busted?

3.)
Also, do I NEED to get an alignment after I replace these?

4.)
AND...what tools/equipment will I need to do this job? I have a basic tool kit and I'd like to avoid buying any expensive tools so what are the essentials? I'm assuming I need a Jack. Do I need the tripod units that come with some Jacks? What about ramps?



Thanks in advance for your assistance!