bojangles

I have my Vette on the lift and I"m trying to remove the drive shaft. The rear u joint is covered by a brace/bracket. I tried to remove the brace/bracket but the bolts that go through the brace/bracket appear to be to long and hit the side of the underbody. Is there any trick to removing the rear u joint and removing the bracket/brace? Do I need to jack up the differential? Are there any special tools?
Thanks

Hitch

There is no need to remove the differential snubber bracket. The u-joint is held on by two straps with (1/2") nuts. Remove the four nuts and the straps. Remove the front straps from the tranny yoke. The drive shaft should come right out. Dave

DansYellow66

Yes - you should be able to get to the strap nuts with a open end wrench and remove them. It's a little tight but you should be able to get to them. If the car is on stands you can rotate the shaft to get the best access to each nut. If on a lift you may be able to roll the car forward or back slightly to get better access.

TopLess62

Or use a socket on a long extension....

R. Seghi

Ok so I got the back unbolted. I was wondering if anybody has a pic of the front u-joint and how does that come apart? I can figure it out but it would help if I had some tips and a pic.

prestige6

same way the rear came apart.

LB66383

The front U-joint should have straps holding it to the transmission yoke just like the rear. Once you remove the straps, you can push the yoke into the transmission to disconnect it from the driveshaft, then remove the driveshaft from the car. If your front U-joint does not have the straps, then someone modified things in the past.

JohnZ

Here's what the front yoke looks like - wrap tape around the trunnions when you get it apart so you don't drop the caps and needles on the floor.

R. Seghi

Thx guys, I just got it up in the air. I'll let you know what I find.

plaidside

Here you go:
Joe

R. Seghi

I got it unbolted now I just have to get the yoke separated from the driveshaft.

Powershift

But a few added precautions:

1. Mark the driveshaft front and rear so it goes back the same way as it was before.

2. Use some WD-40 and a rag to clean the front yoke of any dirt and debris etc before pushing it thru the rear transmission seal. This will help to keep from damaging the rubber trans seal. The seal can be replaced without removing the trans, but it is not a fun job.

Larry

Frankie the Fink

As JohnZ said - WRAP UP THOSE BEARING CAPS WITH TAPE - as shown below. Chasing those needle bearings across the garage floor will reduce you to a drooling idiot. The front yoke should come off quite easily and yes, use a gray Sharpee pen to mark how the shaft was installed at the rear and how the yoke mates to the shaft and the tail section of the tranny.

I clean the shiny yoke surface off religiously and put a little silicone lube around the seal before inserting/re-installing the drive shaft
Don't overthink it; R&Ring a drive shaft is a 15 minute job including a beer break.