I've been thinking about replacing the ball joints, and have a question that probably seems silly to most, but thought I'd ask anyway:

Whenever I've had a shop do the work, upon close inspection it appears that they didn't touch any of the other components, like the control arms or outer tie rod ends. Not so much as a scratch on any of the bolts, no evidence of anything being disturbed.

So what gives - how are they able to replace the ball joints without detaching any of these other things? The FAQ mentions removing the front control arm strut rod bolt, but doesn't mention the outer tie rod connection at all. I can't seem to visualize how it's possible to do the job without disconnecting a whole bunch of stuff in order to allow the assembly to move enough to get the joint in.

I don't want to remove things without good cause, and the FAQ picture shows both the tie rod end disconnected and the brake caliper off...