Don't do like I did and drive 10,000 miles with just shipping grease in the ball joints. Pump something in there! I had to do three of them over, including both lowers. That gave me an excuse to replace the front brakes, though. The most important thing (besides jackstands) is to take your time. You're not a mechanic flagging hours, you're a DIY person, so make a day of each side.
My apologies if I've missed something here, it's been a year since I did this.
My procedure:
1. Remove the HUGE nut from the center of the wheel. It takes a 36mm socket, a rather large breaker bar, and more than three cups of Wheaties.
2. Remove wheel and lay it down close by. It makes an excellent seat.
3. Remove brake caliper mounting bracket. Calipers come off with them. Ignore the pads for now because the vehicle is most certainly stopped. It takes a lot of elbow grease to get the bracket off, so I hope you bought a can at the parts store. Use a coat hanger to attach the caliper/bracket assembly to the frame someplace where you can see it.
4. Remove rotor and do something with it. Remove the shield that's behind it, too.
5. Remove ABS sensor. It takes a metric Allen wrench.
6. Loosen the castle nut on the upper ball joint, but don't remove it. Use a pitman arm puller on the ballstud. The ballstud doesn't fight back, but noisy neighbors do, even if they really need their arms pulled.
7. Remove the ballstud nut and carefully work the ballstud out of the steering knuckle. At this point, the whole steering knuckle and wheel hub assembly will literally fold down into your lap. The CV axle end will probably fall out of the hub as well.
8. Remove the lower ballstud the same way you did the upper one. The only differences here are that it's bigger and, well, it's on the bottom.
9. Remove the snap ring from the lower ball joint. Use the press and a massive wrench to slowly press the ball joint out. This is the most physically difficult part! (well, unless you're the one who's holding the vehicle up during all this). The ball joint may release suddenly, causing the wrench and press to slip, so be aware of this.
10. Put some anti seize in the hole in the control arm and press in the new ball joint. Secure it with the snap ring.
11. Make any necessary repairs to the CV axle now. You can easily replace the whole thing; only six bolts hold it to the flange.
12. Spray paint the eccentric bolts holding the upper control arm in place. Use a bright color such as hot pink so that everyone knows which control arm is yours! Be sloppy and get some on the frame, too. This will help you line up the new control arm.
13. Remove the two eccentric bolts holding the upper control arm. Lay everything out in a line so you know what went where, and don't smear that hot pink paint.
14. Replace the entire upper control arm assembly with a new one.
15. Assembly is the exact opposite, but I want you to STOP with the brakes. OK, I always use brakes to stop, but what I mean is then you pick that rotor up, strongly consider having it turned. When you're happy (which you should usually be unless the rotor needs work), install the rotor.
16. Check the brake pads when you put the caliper assembly back on. This is a very good time to replace them.
17. Finish assembling everything and put some grease in the new ball joints. Do the other side now if you can. Drive the vehicle, and if it checks out, schedule an alignment.
18. Go clean up and spend time with the family, because by now, I'm willing to bet you've spent most of the day in your garage.
