U-joint removal
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 124
Likes: 1
U-joint removal
How do you remove the u-joints from the half shafts? Mine slide back and forth in the shaft hole fairly easily with a hammer and drift but they "bottom out" before the cap clears the hole lip. Whats the trick to removing and replacing them?
I know I can send them to someone for overhaul but I don't want to wait that long as I am pretty much ready to reassemble.
Stuck in Louisville
thanks
I know I can send them to someone for overhaul but I don't want to wait that long as I am pretty much ready to reassemble.
Stuck in Louisville
thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
yoou have to slide it all the way one way and then leaving that cap where it is, tap the cross piece of the ujount thew other direction to drive the other cap as far as it will go, the cross piece will come out then and then tap out the 2 caps with a drift
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,985
From: Connecticut, USA
Best bet is to use a oxy-ace torch and cut out the cross. Polish the bores and lightly tap in the new joint. Use a back up plate on the flange. I've used die grinders in the past to cut them out too.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,408
Likes: 792
From: Redondo Beach, California
Once you push the "spider" the X shaped piece as far as you can one way, a little bit of the cap will be exposed (stick out). There's a tool that's sold by some of the Corvette vendors that graps the cap and allow it to be pulled out all the way. Never tried this tool myself.
How to get that cap off: What I did was tedious, but simple. After a little bit of the cap was exposed, I used a dremel grinder and reduced the radius of the cap by a small amount. The flange of the other cap was also a little exposed at it's lower end, so I ground that to reduce diameter a little also. Then I tapped the spider back in the opposite direction as much as I could and repeated the process. By this time, I had the caps ground down enough that I could manually pull them out by hand with a pliers type wrench.
I used a U joint tool to push the spider back and forth. My process was very effective but tedious. It took a long time, which is OK for someone working at home. Not a commercially economical method though.
PS: Buy that U-Joint flange tool before you use the U-joint tool, or you'll perhaps crush and ruin a flange.
How to get that cap off: What I did was tedious, but simple. After a little bit of the cap was exposed, I used a dremel grinder and reduced the radius of the cap by a small amount. The flange of the other cap was also a little exposed at it's lower end, so I ground that to reduce diameter a little also. Then I tapped the spider back in the opposite direction as much as I could and repeated the process. By this time, I had the caps ground down enough that I could manually pull them out by hand with a pliers type wrench.
I used a U joint tool to push the spider back and forth. My process was very effective but tedious. It took a long time, which is OK for someone working at home. Not a commercially economical method though.
PS: Buy that U-Joint flange tool before you use the U-joint tool, or you'll perhaps crush and ruin a flange.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 10,628
Likes: 132
From: Duvall, WA
I use a big bench vise and two sockets. Use a smaller socket that fits inside of the hole and presses the cap inward. On the opposite side, use a larger socket that the cap will fit inside. Then squeeze the sockets in the vice. When the cap is pressed outside of the yoke, you should be able to grab it with a vice grip, and give the vice grip a couple of wacks with a rubber mallet to dislodge the cap. You should then be able to maneuvre the u-joint around to get it out. Just tap out the other cap.
You might want to use some spray lubricant to make the caps easier to get out. This method has always been quick and easy for me.
I strongly recommend bolting the flange to a metal plate so it doesn't bend.
You might want to use some spray lubricant to make the caps easier to get out. This method has always been quick and easy for me.
I strongly recommend bolting the flange to a metal plate so it doesn't bend.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 365
Likes: 1
From: Glenview IL
Originally Posted by rcread
I use a big bench vise and two sockets. Use a smaller socket that fits inside of the hole and presses the cap inward. On the opposite side, use a larger socket that the cap will fit inside. Then squeeze the sockets in the vice. When the cap is pressed outside of the yoke, you should be able to grab it with a vice grip, and give the vice grip a couple of wacks with a rubber mallet to dislodge the cap. You should then be able to maneuvre the u-joint around to get it out. Just tap out the other cap.
You might want to use some spray lubricant to make the caps easier to get out. This method has always been quick and easy for me.
I strongly recommend bolting the flange to a metal plate so it doesn't bend.
You might want to use some spray lubricant to make the caps easier to get out. This method has always been quick and easy for me.
I strongly recommend bolting the flange to a metal plate so it doesn't bend.
I used a press instead of a vise to pop the caps out. When the spider was moved as far as it would go with the cap sticking out, I used a bench vise to hold the cap while I rotated/pulled the half shaft off the cap. I did have to throw a little heat on one of them to get the cap out beacuse it was a bit stubborn.~Rich
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 21,457
Likes: 463
From: Massillon,Ohio USA
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Originally Posted by gtr1999
Best bet is to use a oxy-ace torch and cut out the cross. Polish the bores and lightly tap in the new joint. Use a back up plate on the flange. I've used die grinders in the past to cut them out too.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski