Thought you might find my recent experience changing front (151) airbags and upper A arm bushings useful. I changed the A arm bushings about a year ago and am just finishing replacing the air bags. I found that the old airbags were soft and stretched, consequently with some judicious wiggling was able to remove them with the A arms in their lowest position. The new airbags however are very stiff and I found it impossible to install them without removing the chassis ends of the A arms. Since you are changing both bushings and bags, I suggest that you install the airbags while the A arms are removed.
In removing the A arms I loosened the 4 chassis nuts then removed the cotter pin and unscrewed the center nut so that it would protect the threads on the ball joint. WE then used a 9lb sledge and after several very sharp whacks were able to knock loose the tapered ball joint shaft. This is not a job for a little guy. Since the job was a little below JDUB's paygrade and he's seldom seen in the Northwest, I found a local farmboy/defensive tackle to swing the hammer. FYI we tried jacking the ball joint but stopped when we could see the axle flex.
After removing the A arms it's necessary to remove the snap rings from the bushings. In my bus they were rusted in so I waited for a couple of days while letting them soak in penetrating oil. I then used a hydraulic press to compress the bushings so the snap ring tool would fully extend through the holes. As to snap ring tools, conventional pliers will not get the job done. I finally found the Wright 9H87 shown below which is the true answer to the task.
When reinstalling the bushings, grease them well, you may need to rotate them slightly in order to get the bolts back in. You will need to compress the bushings in the press in order to install the snap rings and spacers.
As with many jobs around the bus, this one is all about having the right tools for the job, in this case that included a very big guy willing to work for beer. Have fun.
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