This is for a corvette or tractor -trailer truck? I'll do them for a lot less then that,as I'm sure most will.

Good luck,
Gary

 

Or you can get a pr, 3 " .with spicer joints for $218

http://www.dragvette.com/

 

I bought them from them a week or so ago--it is a bargin since they come with new flanges. Unbolt your old 1/2 shafts and bolt these on--plus they're shiny like turned metal. I painted mine up with clear engine paint so they'll stay looking good I hope.

 

Photovette1 is it as easy as you make it sound to install these? I'm not the most mechanically inclined person but I ain't no Bubba either. I need new u-joints but if these are easy to bolt in I'll go this route. How long to remove and replace with new? Any special tools or simple wrenches, sockets?

Thanx,-Pete. KEEP DRIVING!!!

 

It's very easy--here's how I did it--others may have a different way, but this worked for me:

1. Spray u-joint bolts with nut loosener the night before.

2. Jack up the 'vette until the rear tire on the side your are working on just leaves the ground. Use hydraulic jack or jackstand and chock the front wheels. Mainly because you need to put the transmission in N.

3. Cram a big screw driver under the tire so it won't turn when you loosen the u-joint bolts.

4. Remove the 4 nuts on the 1/2 shaft where it a attaches to the rear end. Remove the U-shaped bolts--gentle tapping may be required.

You'll have to keep turning the tire to get off all four bolts (for clearence)--that is why you stuffed the screw driver under the tire--pull out the screw driver from under the tire, turn the tire, then stuff the screw driver back under it.

5. Now go to the u-joint flange and press down the tabs on the french locks--if your car still has them.

6. Remove all four bolts.

7. Gently push out and wiggle on the tire so the u-joint flange clears the spindle nut (it's under the flange.

8. At this point the 1/2 shaft will fall right out--watch out!

Took me about 30-45 minutes for each side and most of that was wrenching the bolts and nuts. I didn't have to get out from under the car at all. The nuts and bolts are 9/16". This is the first time I've done this too--so I was quite relieved it was this easy.

They're better looking in person too-the Spicer u-joints are already installed--just bolt'em in.

 

I think it depends on how much rust you have too, as I am still trying to pull my U bolts off. I got the nuts off (after a lot of nights soaking all the various bolts), but I still can't pull or ‘tap’ the ubolts off.

 

ok.... I am at an impasse now. No amount of hammering with a screwdriver at the top of the Ubolt is letting any of the four bolts budge I'm getting a bit upset so I'm not messing with it for a few hours in case someone has a better Idea that I'm not seeing.

 

One of my U-bolts did not want to come out--period. But when I separated the u-joint flange from the trailing arm and pulled on the whole 1/2 shaft, it came right off.

 

If I yank on the half shaft, will the side differential yoke come off with it?

 

I didn't have to yank, just twisted the shaft a bit and that took the stress off the u-bolt. I (gingerly) tried pulling on the yokes once I got the shafts off; them seemed like they were in there pretty good.

 

Well, I tried all kinds of angles, nothing is slipping out...

pic
pic
pic

 

Ah! Did you get the lock washers off? The u-bolts won't come out with them on and it looks like they are from pic#3.

Lock washers were stuck to the yoke head and were hard to see from the grease:



french Locks were missing, so I used Lok-tite.

 

These lock washers? yeah, they all came off. guess I'll try a bigger hammer/screwdriver, guess if that does not work, I will have to cut them or something.

 

Yeah, I think I give up, time to go buy something to cut the bolts

 

I guess I got lucky--usually I have to do that too. I just screwed up my horn button--I took it off to polish it and I bent the heck out og the mounting ring.

 

The half shafts are held in with snap rings inside the diff. If they pull out consider yourself lucky it happen in your work area rather than on the street.

I wouldn't cut the u bolts....with lockwashers removed put the nuts back on so as not to ruin the threads and lightly.

 

lightly? how ? theres a differential les then half in inch from where the nut is. I must be missing something. I can't get anything in there to hit or push with.

What I had been trying is to put the screwdriver on the bent part of the U bolt, and very hard.

/end noob mode.

 

I think I'll still buy the new half-shafts from DRAGVETTE but now Im having second thoughts about doing the job my self? My car is a daily driver and I can't have too much down time. I wonder how much $$ to have installed......

 

Ive been following this thread... did my driveshaft u-joints this weekend. Well, halfway at least. I CANNOT get the joints off the driveshaft - going to a shop to have them bang a little bit. I bent the handle on my C-clamp before I could punch one cap out the other end. But the at least the shaft dropped easily.

Anyway, thanks for the above responses.

JCJ

 

Don;t hammer them out,use a torch to cut the cross section out. You don't want to distort the yoke.
Gary