I feel retarded for having to ask....

[Recon!]

I'm still rebuilding my D60 for the Blazer, and I've been slowly getting parts and stuff, the only thing left to get in the mail is the new spindle nuts and then it can get fully assembled! Once it's under the truck for ease of mobility reasons, of course.

Anyways, the u-joints in the axles are giving me hell. The clips are rusted pretty good to the ears, so far I have bent the bejesus out of a small screw driver, and I broke one of those craftsman picks (time to make a sears run!) I have 2 clips off of one u-joint, they are the ones on the stub shaft caps on the short side assembly. I have banged on the caps enough so that one cap is about 1/16" sticking out, but it won't budge any further. The other cap is down in the ear about the same amount, but I can't get that one to come back off the cross of the u-joint.

Any tips you can suggest? I searched pirate and all over every forum I am/am not a member of. I don't have a socket big enough to put on the ear so the cap can protrude through it, I plan on getting one on Wednesday after I get off my 24 hour shift. That's the only thing I can think of, I have a good size c-clamp, no vise, doing this on my balcony/in my kitchen

 

[76zimmer]

I guess a torch is out?

penetrating liquid, punch, chisel for the clips, and a BFH with a 3/4 drift punch.

Support the other side of the ear with a piece of thick wall pipe.

Good luck

 

[4X4HIGH]

Use a cut off wheel on a die grinder to cut the cross at each cap and then carefully drive the caps inward until they pop out.

 

[cegusman]

carefully drive the caps inward until they pop out.

This is the one you have to worry about the most. Beat on it to hard and the ears will bend.


I would soak the ears in pb blaster before you try to beat them out.

 

[stumpbuster]

get the proper tools to do the job, or you are working against yerself.
why new spindle nuts??

 

[tRustyK5]

Once you have the clips out use a plumbers torch to warm up the yoke around the U-joint caps. You're not aiming to turn anything red, just to expand things a little. I had a bugger of a time getting the U-joint out of my rear driveshaft recently. It's a similar style, internal clips (S44 joint) and nothing was moving. I put just a little heat to it (less than 200 F) and the cups almost dropped out it was so easy.

Rene

 

[79bonanza]

i hade on stuck once and took it to the shop i used to workout and they popped it out real quick with the press. sounds like a good time for you to go to harbor freight lol

 

[BGKYK5]

I had to grind my c-clips out and then cut the trunions off where they meet the cross. That was fun. Then then pop the caps out toward from the inside.

 

[Recon!]

get the proper tools to do the job, or you are working against yerself.
why new spindle nuts??

New spindle nuts because the little tit on one of them got smashed/broken, so I figured I would change them both and keep the good used set as a spare.

Thanks for all the good tips, guys. Hopefully I won't be too tired tomorrow when I get off shift!

 

[COCHEV]

x2 on taking it to a machine shop and have them press it out. sometimes its just not worth the hassel.