Can the lower control arm inner ball joint be removed without dropping the subframe? It looks to me like one of the bolts will interfere with the half shaft. Can anyone help? This is the ball joint that is connected to the subframe on that banana-shaped bracket.

 

You can. You will have to remove the CV axle from the hub an push to the side. I did it with mine a while back. Note, it helps to have a metric tap an die set when you remove the bolts. On mone they were rusted pretty bad. Once I treated the bolts with pb blaster an got them out. I clean the threads on the bolt an threads of the control arm. They went all the way in just by using my fingers. Then just torque them to spec
It really not hard if you have the rights tools.

 

Removing the CV axle is in the Bentley manual? I have a copy.

Im doing bearings and struts at the same time.

 

Someone say Bentley? https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r53-cooper-s-hat/

 

So the bolt does come out without dropping the subframe, but it's not easy. A few mm to spare if you lift the axle as high as it will go. I'd have pulled it out of the transmission but I have just changed the fluid.

 

I lowered my sub-frame, loosened the bolts to drop a few inches. Did not take out the axle. I was changing my LCA bushings so I removed the whole LCA and changed the inner ball joints at that time. May the Force Be with You..

 

I swapped mine out without dropped the subframe, though frankly I don't recall whatever finagling I had to do in order to complete it. I just know that I've swapped my pass. side inner ball joint and I've yet to lower the subframe from my car.

 

You can remove the axle, or take the engine mount bolts out and jack up the engine as it will give you the space you need to get the bolts out.

 

I did this a couple of weeks ago, change the lca bushings to poly, Thanks to WMW. I just took out the cv axle out it. Then you can get the two bolts out.