A chevy/10 bolt question

[Magikal]

Helping a friend replace wheel bearings in her 74 el camino with 10 bolt rear end. Removed lock pin, large shaft in differential, wheels and drums, and proceed to push axle shafts in to remove c clips to remove axle shafts. Neither one will budge. Worked my way up to a 7lb splitting mall and failed to move either one. Convinced that bearing races are fused to axle shafts. I've done a couple 10 hours years ago. It shouldn't be this hard.

Proceeded to put it all back together and new fluid while we ponder what to do. Maybe cut axle shafts with skinny disk behind spider gears?

Thoughts and opinions? Ideas?

 

[Justin V]

Only idea I have is kind of a lot of work...

 

[dyeager535]

Random thought...

Do the axles have play "vertically"? I've seen grooves cut in the shafts from the bearings, possible that has happened and they are deep enough that the bearings are hitting that shoulder when you try to push them in?

Fused seems unlikely if they are still rotating and have been driven on, but so does a shoulder as big as I am imagining...you'd think the seals would fail for one, plus potential brake issues.

 

[diesel4me]

The side gears the axles pass thru may need to be pushed towards the axle tubes while someone pushes in on the axle shaft,the c-clips sometimes grind into the gear where they sit and make a deeper recess and pushing in on the axle might not let them loose enough to slip out of the groove..some factory posi rears had a c-clip that could be installed only one way "properly" but often gets flipped around the wrong way and still fits and looks "right"extracting them after that can be difficult..

The axle shafts should push in a good 1/4" or more with the spider gear pin out--but the side gear may just be pushing out with it..

Maybe someone put c-clip eliminators on the axles,or that 10 bolt had a similar factory retainer that is held on by 4 bolts behind the axle (that also hold the backing plate on"...some GM mid sized wagons and El-Caminos got Pontiac axles put in them..

 

[Magikal]

I don't see anything that resembles an eliminator kit. Backing plate is held on by four nuts that would be nearly impossible to remove with the axle shaft in. In the differential i can slide the spider gears off the shafts but not far enough to remove the clip or gear. As hard as we were hitting the shaft from the outside i have a hard time believing that the bearing has grooved into the shaft.