U joint replacment
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 53,991
Likes: 9,355
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
U joint replacment
is that a real chore like on earlier Vettes. what is the book rate to do it
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,366
Likes: 2,732
Add maybe a balance of the drive-shaft along with the install, some shops insist.
You could consider removing all three taking them to a drive-line shop and have them serviced. That leaves you maybe the pinion seal, short-axle seals and the transmission rear seal to accomplish or if your interested in "shopping the job" those need to be taken into consideration also!
Last edited by WVZR-1; May 19, 2013 at 09:53 AM.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 53,991
Likes: 9,355
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
well the last time I removed U joints from a half shaft I had to use a torch a heat every thing all up. so you think that that it will be the same. nothing else special about doing it.
its either my U joints going bad or the barrings in the T/A at the spindle
its either my U joints going bad or the barrings in the T/A at the spindle
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,057
Likes: 5
From: Bay Shore, NY
I did the u-joints on the half shafts about 3 years ago, it took about 2 hours to get one side all apart and about 1/2 for its reinstall, on my back. I had a frozen joint that was not cooperating so I wound up disconnecting the u-joint at the differential and then removing the knuckle so I had room to push the half shaft out. I can of PB Blaster and an electric impact gun helped to the job. It's not a bad job IMO.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,882
Likes: 234
From: Bangkok, Thailand
You don't want to use a torch on these since they're aluminum 
I did one side a couple of months ago in the time frame described above. Found that the simple way to get the shaft out as to remove the strap bolts at both ends, and then remove the 3 bolts that retain the bracket to the frame where to two forward pointing control arms bolt up, along with the bottom strut rod. Once that was done you could pull the knuckle out enough to get the shaft out. No need to remove the big nut and pull out the splined end from the hub.
I dropped it off to have the joints pressed out as my vise was too small and I didn't want to pound on an aluminum shaft.
Hope that helps.
I did one side a couple of months ago in the time frame described above. Found that the simple way to get the shaft out as to remove the strap bolts at both ends, and then remove the 3 bolts that retain the bracket to the frame where to two forward pointing control arms bolt up, along with the bottom strut rod. Once that was done you could pull the knuckle out enough to get the shaft out. No need to remove the big nut and pull out the splined end from the hub.
I dropped it off to have the joints pressed out as my vise was too small and I didn't want to pound on an aluminum shaft.
Hope that helps.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,970
Likes: 242
I used a large bench vice to press them out and the new ones in. Worked and didn't damage a thing but wears you out with the amount of force it takes to turn the vice down. In retrospect I would have invested in a cheap hydraulic A frame press.
Don't hammer or heat -- aluminum shafts.
Don't hammer or heat -- aluminum shafts.
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Racer
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 13
However, I did it myself in less than 3 hours per side, and that was the first work I'd ever done on a Corvette! (I had just aquired mine the month before.)
In addition, I found that you don't have to disassemble the suspension as described in the pdf instructions that are usually cited. If you're interested, my writeup of how I did it is here with some additional info here.
I did not find it to be difficult, and I know there is no way an experienced dealership mechanic with a lift would take more than an hour or two per side to do this job. It's really a fairly easy job.