Just as the title says. I have three bad ones need to know how hard it is to change all of them. I do not have to change the control arms. Is it recommended to have the alighnment redone afterwards?

 

It's not difficult if you have the time & the right tools. And, yes, an alignment must be performed afterwards. You can borrow a ball-joint puller tool set from many auto parts stores for free. They just charge your credit card number to insure you return the tools, then cancel the charge afterwards.

If you have to replace three joints, then it's advisable to replace ALL the ball joints. The others are probably near the end of their life anyway, and this way you only need to get one alignment. Make sure you replace both ends of the tie rods, too.

 

This is posted in the van section:Guide To Replacing Balljoints On Ford E150 Econoline Vans .: Articles

It's basically the same thing.

Not a super difficult job, just time consuming.

Having the alingment checked is a good idea, but I did not have it done on mine. I also replaced the caliper guide pins and repacked wheel bearings while I was there.