swapping gears?

I'll be swapping the rearend gears this weekend. How do I remove the half shafts?

Thanks.

Rob

Unless you are a professional installer, i would recomend that you have a shop put the gears in. It is not that you can't do it, it is that it is very difficult to get them set perfectly so that they don't make noise and wear out quickly. You should also make sure you have the install kit for the gears ie. (new thrust washers, seals, bearings, axle nuts, and so on.) You have to replace the wheel nuts if you take them off. They are a special one time use only nut. I made the mistake of trying to reuse them and they came loose in about a month. So I then tried loctite and that didn't even work. So i got the new nuts from Ford and that took care of everything. This is just a suggestion, but I would suggest gettting them done at a shop. It only cost me 300 bucks at a really good shop. To me it was really worth the money to beat the hastle.

Thanks, but it doesn't take a "professional" to install gears right. Over the years, I've successfully installed several sets and I don't claim to be a mechanic. This will be my first SC install so I'm just looking for some insider info. to make the job a little easier.

Thanks anyway.

Rob

I wasn't aware if you had any experience that is why i posted about the many problems that can arise when doing the gears. But if you have been doing them for a while then just have at it.

Rob I'm not sure what your exhaust looks like but pick the side with the most room and remove that side wheel. Remove the caliper and tie it out of the way. Remove the brake rotor. Unfasten the spindle after match-marking the 3 bushings to spindle for realignment. Use a prybar to remove the half-shaft from the diff while it's still attached to the spindle. Then remove them both as an assembly and place aside. Now position a floor jack under the pumpkin and remove the four nuts that hold it up. Use the prybar to pry the pumpkin away from the other still installed half-shaft towards the now open side of the subframe. lower and remove.

Installation is reverse of removal.

Dont' worry about new cir-clips unless they are damaged or missing.

If you remove the rear axle nuts they will have to be replaced as they are a one time self locking design. My method leaves them alone and saves alot of time needlessly removing both sides.

The rear shocks hold the lower control arms in place so leave them on with the suspension unloaded.

Make sure the gas tank cross over hose above the driveshaft is clear before you finish the job.

Vernon

Thanks Vernon.

what holds the half-shafts in place?

Rob

the circlip hold the half shaft in the rear end. do exactly what we said to do....

take all three bolts out of the spindle on ONE side.....use a pry bar on the inner part of the axel and it will pop out then remove the axel and spinde from the car......for the other side leave everything attached and use a pry bar again to remove it form the diff.......

i just did mine like this and didnt need new nuts or anything......


Todd

The axles are held in by circlips set into the side gears. To remove the axle you have to apply some force. There is a special tool for this, but I just used a B.F.S. (big screwdriver).

I would recommend that you remove both axles, not just one. It's only 5 lug nuts, 2 brake bolts, and 3 knuckle bolts. Removing both sides will make it much easier to simply lower the pumpkin without risk of dropping it or damaging an axle. It's like one of those things where you might save 10 minutes now by not removing the other axle, and then waste an hour later trying to keep it out of the way...

I agree, it's worth the additional few minutes to pull the other halfshaft/spindle assembly. That way it is completely out of the way, and it really makes the job easier.

If you have never had the rear end apart before, it's going to be hard to get the bolts outta the control arm connections, so I would just do one side like said above.

thanks guys. I appreciate all the info.

Well if you can't the car very high then maybe it would be worth the extra trouble to remove both sides. But I always make enough room to work under it and removing only one has never been more trouble than it's worth.

Vernon