> - Getting the half-axles out is a royal pain! To get to the driver's
> side bolts you have to pull out the back half of the exhaust, and
> for the life of me I can't pull apart the rusted together compression
> joints (hints?). Also, what's the secret for pulling the rubber
> boot and inner flange through the hole in the trailing arm? I
> found that the whole mess wedged tight in the hole, and the only
> way I could get one through was by turning the boot inside out --
> not an easy task.
Hmmm. My exhaust goes around the passenger (RH) side. Do you have the stock
side by side pipes going to a single muffler and then a dual tip out
the back? By the way, with a little selective cutting (Dremel tool)
you can remove some of the exhaust clamps holding the exhaust in place
and then wiggle it around a bit. Also, to get to the bolts, you can get
a looooong extension for your socket wrench and get to those bolts
from where the wheel and tire used to be. I didn't do it that way
but I'm told it works just fine.
I found that I could get the outer axle stuff through the hole pretty
easy but the inner stuff was a tight fit. I just pulled the axle apart
and didn't have to pull the inner stuff through the hole :-) You, however,
don't have this option if your axles are stuck together. I'd suggest
lots of penetrating oil to try and unstick them. Good luck. As for
U joints, unless you're sure they're pretty new, why not replace them now,
while everything is apart?
As for the clunking, could it be that you've got a broken differential
bracket (RH, front)? Mine sort of did what you describe and that's what
was wrong with mine. The only way to check is to remove the differential
(which is easier if the exhaust is just hanging "loose"). Keep us posted.
Meanwhile, I'm getting my bracket welded this weekend and then I can start
reassembling everything.
jim
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