Having looked through the forum and found good replacement instructions still wonder how much time it should take before deciding if I should get someone else to do it or do it myself. Book rate at the shops is 4.7 hours for both joints on 1 half shaft and it looks like it shouldn't take that long with a lift and all the necessary tools. Anyone know how long it should take? for a competent mechanic in a shop as 4.7 Hours seems a bit much to pay for.

 

If you have all the necessary tools(big bench vice) and you are somewhat mechanically skilled you should be able to do both sides in that time. I did mine last year for the first time in about 3 hours.

 

If you put your mind to it, it's maybe 3hrs if you take care for all your doing. It's not that bad at all, especially if you have a lift :yesnod:

 

I can change u-joints in no time at all but that's because I've had lots and lots of practice :banghead:

 

Learning curves, for me, are steep. That means I do the job not only once, but twice. In my case, either I didn't install the u-joint right, or the u-joint itself failed. Still, the second time doing it was half the first time.

It's really not a bad job. You can do it. Just take your time. Technically, it's no more trouble than a brake job, just more involved.

Also, you might want to score or rent a pickle fork to pop the rear tie rod. And make sure you note the rear camber, so you can get the car aligned correctly. Lastly, when tightening down the camber bolt, be prepared to really apply a lot of torque. I think it calls for over 200 ft/lbs. Any less, and you'll lose your rear camber in short order.

Ask me how I know... :rolleyes:

 

The first time you do something it always takes longer. :) Check this out, may help your decision.
http://personal.tmlp.com/scorp/vette/images/ujoints

 

The flat rate book was written so that even so-so mechanics can make a living. It also has to take into account that some cars are clean and easy to work on and some are corroded PIAs where bolts snap off and have to be drilled out. That said, it is my opinion that a decent mechanic who has done the job at laest once before should be able to do both sides in 4~5 hours.

I replaced both half-shaft u-joints and both rear wheel bearings on my 88 last summer and it wasn't that bad. If you are considering doing it yourself, I'll suggest a couple things I think make a difference in the "expeience".
1) Clean the whole back underside as much as possible before beginning.
2) If you don't have a lift available jack the car up as high as possible. Some of the wrenching requires a long arc and you don't want to have to make lots of tiny pulls when a couple of large ones will do. It also makes the use of the torque wrench lots easier.
3) Write down all of the torque values for all of the bolts involved and make sure you have the appropriate torque wrenches on hand.
4) Buy some cotter pin packs to replace the ones you will take off. I used stainless steel 1/8-1' and 5/32/-1.5".
5) Buy the Spicer u-joints of your choice and have them ready. Spicer makes a couple of types that will work in the Vette. They have steel/anodixed cap and greasable/non-greasable units. I used the non-greasable 5-800X which is the Spicer heavy duty anodized cap u-joint specifically recommended to me by Spicer Tech Support for the Vette aluminum half-shafts.
6) Use a good quality T-55 Torx bit and a 1/2" air-impact tool if possible.
7) Have several long rachet extentions in 1/4" and 3/8" rachet sizes.
8) Be ABSOLUTELY SURE that the car is supported by jack stands that you can trust with your life. If the car falls on you with the wheels off, there is nothing to keep you from being crushed beyond recognition.

If you start early one Saturday morning, take your time, don't drink or clean to excess as you work, you should be done that day. Not only will you know that it was done right with the best possible parts, it will add "up to 15 hp" and make you even more attractive to the opposite sex.

 

Thanks a lot for the replies, I don't have a lift so thats one of the reasons I think I'd get someone else to do it as well as having to do it in the street. I didn't think it should take as long as book unless problems came up. I might still do it myself unless I can find shop that will do it for a flat rate less than book.

 

I did it in my garage without a lift and while it wasn't all that bad, if I had to do it in the driveway I'm not sure I would do it myself. I would not do it in the street without at least having someone else to help me the whole time and probably not even then.

Call the Spicer dealer/distributor in your area and see if they can recommend a shop. When I went to pick up the u-joints from he local distributor they recommended a shop that had experience with Vette rear ends and would do the work for me at a reasonable cost, but I'd already pulled the wheel bearings and half shafts out the night before, so I just finished it myself. My only regret was not jacking the car up to the max safe height of the jack stands. It wasn't a big deal during disassembly, just iconvienent when I went to torque everything to spec.

 

4.7 hrs. could run into some bucks. If you plan on keeping the car, I would take the time and replace them. In return you gain the necessary experience should you need to replace them again in the future.
Good luck

 

If you remove the bolt at the knuckle that holds the camber rod, you won't have to worry about an alignment change.

RACE ON!!!

 

Start on Sat norning and finish by the afternoon. Take the time to do it. Make sure you have the right tool that will make the job much easier