Half shaft removal question
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
Half shaft removal question
Ok so I finally got around to replacing my halfshaft u-joints and I've read some take the camber bolt out and some don't. Well looks like I'm gonna be a guy who has to. My question is any reason I can't remove the spindle end nut/bolt for that arm and not mess with the camber bolt? I prefer to leave those things alone with my luck. Also looks like the shaft would drop out easier on that end.
edit: These are the directions I am using http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vad...orpujoint.html
edit: These are the directions I am using http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vad...orpujoint.html
Last edited by BOOT77; Jul 16, 2014 at 04:43 AM. Reason: dirrrrr
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,393
Likes: 2,741
Ok so I finally got around to replacing my halfshaft u-joints and I've read some take the camber bolt out and some don't. Well looks like I'm gonna be a guy who has to. My question is any reason I can't remove the spindle end nut/bolt for that arm and not mess with the camber bolt? I prefer to leave those things alone with my luck. Also looks like the shaft would drop out easier on that end.
edit: These are the directions I am using http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vad...orpujoint.html
edit: These are the directions I am using http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vad...orpujoint.html
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 3
From: Conowingo Maryland
I did mine 2 or 3 weeks ago. You should be able to get all the caps off with no problem. The only thing I took off were the 4 caps holding the u joints in place. Hell you do not even have to remove the tire if you do not want to. If I had not done it myself I would not say that it could be done but I did it and it can be done
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
I did mine 2 or 3 weeks ago. You should be able to get all the caps off with no problem. The only thing I took off were the 4 caps holding the u joints in place. Hell you do not even have to remove the tire if you do not want to. If I had not done it myself I would not say that it could be done but I did it and it can be done
I left the tires on, mine aren't as big as most. I read how you did yours, but I am not gonna remove caps and then take a chance of getting anything on the bare ends like dirt or having one of the pins pop out & end up in the bottom of the cap. I tape the ends so the caps don't come off on any driveshaft I've done, until I have it in place.
Thx WVZR-1, I just wanted to check incase there was some weird unforeseen reason.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,429
Likes: 605
From: Minneapolis Mn
Half Shaft U-Joints
I just did mine a couple of months ago. I used the instructions I found here for the process: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/foru...d.php?t=144562
Loosened the spindle nut, unhooked the spring, dog bone at the bottom of the knuckle and undid the toe rod end. Unbolted the straps on the inner u-joint and put a block under the half shaft for when it came loose. Grab the knuckle and pulled outward on it and the inside end of the shaft came loose and was able to drop it. Spun the spindle nut out to the end of the threads and rapped it with a hammer to loosen the shaft up. Removed the nut and pulled the half-shaft and spindle out. I then was able to replace both u-joints, replaced the Teflon washer and at that point reversed the process to put it all back together. After finishing one side, went on to the other.
By taking the dogbone off the bottom of the knuckle, no alignment issues occurred on reassembly.
Hardest part I had was not dropping the bolts on the u-joint straps during reassembly.
It wasn't hard to do and the thread I noted gave me all the info I needed to do it (thanks to the author for the well defined process). Having not done them before I was a little apprehensive but it all went well.
Hope that helps.
Loosened the spindle nut, unhooked the spring, dog bone at the bottom of the knuckle and undid the toe rod end. Unbolted the straps on the inner u-joint and put a block under the half shaft for when it came loose. Grab the knuckle and pulled outward on it and the inside end of the shaft came loose and was able to drop it. Spun the spindle nut out to the end of the threads and rapped it with a hammer to loosen the shaft up. Removed the nut and pulled the half-shaft and spindle out. I then was able to replace both u-joints, replaced the Teflon washer and at that point reversed the process to put it all back together. After finishing one side, went on to the other.
By taking the dogbone off the bottom of the knuckle, no alignment issues occurred on reassembly.
Hardest part I had was not dropping the bolts on the u-joint straps during reassembly.
It wasn't hard to do and the thread I noted gave me all the info I needed to do it (thanks to the author for the well defined process). Having not done them before I was a little apprehensive but it all went well.
Hope that helps.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
Thx again guys I got em out and good thing looks like they might be the orig(89k) and the pass outer one was going bad. Who knows how much longer it would of lasted with the drag radials. Been on my to do list since I got the car out for the 1st time this spring, but I've had so much else to do on the car. I've checked them a lot and they felt tight but I noticed they were starting to leak pretty good last time and knew it couldn't be avoided any longer.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,393
Likes: 2,741
Snug them (spindle arm) and drive it around the block and then torque the spindle arm with the suspension loaded OR maybe just "jounce" it good a couple times and do it before the drive!
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jul 16, 2014 at 11:48 AM.
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Instructor
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 133
Likes: 6
From: Minnesota
I just did mine last weekend. As I was planning to replace the bushings anyway, I went ahead and removed the dogbone, but still couldn't get enough clearance to get either end of the half shaft loose.
Finally disconnected spring and tie rod, removed the tire, braced myself against the fender and pulled on the knuckle as hard as I could and it fell out.
I used a pry bar to lever it back in.
Turns out the car already had urethane control a bushings which allow almost zero lateral movement
Finally disconnected spring and tie rod, removed the tire, braced myself against the fender and pulled on the knuckle as hard as I could and it fell out.
I used a pry bar to lever it back in.
Turns out the car already had urethane control a bushings which allow almost zero lateral movement
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
I did mine 2 or 3 weeks ago. You should be able to get all the caps off with no problem. The only thing I took off were the 4 caps holding the u joints in place. Hell you do not even have to remove the tire if you do not want to. If I had not done it myself I would not say that it could be done but I did it and it can be done
I used 1/4" drive tools to remove the outer u-joint straps.