This was done on my 2000 XJ DANA 30 but other vehicles would be very similar
Parts Needed
U-Joints (AutoZone Part # 1-0297BF)
Tools Needed
24" Breaker Bar
36mm Socket
7/8 Socket
1 1/4 Socket
5" extension for socket
12 point 13mm Socket
Basic Socket set
Flat Screwdrivers or a chisel
Hammer (a regular one will do it but a short maul would have been nice)
Floor Jack
Something to get your lug nuts off
Jack Stands
Having a bench vice is really helpful
Took about 3 Hours including a trip to AutoZone
Lots of banging so do this during the day if you like your neighbors...
1. First thing to do is to put on your e-brake, & get the front jacked up and on jackstands.

2. Next you need to remove the wheel, then the caliper & rotor. With the long brake lines I just sat my caliper on top of the axle, but if you have short lines make sure you support the caliper with some bailing wire or something and don't just let it hang by the brakeline.

3. Once you have the caliper & rotor off, you'll need to pull the hub assembly off the knuckle by removing the 3 bolts with the 13mm 12 point socket. I had recently rebuilt the axle so my bolts were easy to break loose, but this is one spot you'd need the breaker bar. Once the bolts are out, you may need to tap on the hub assembly to break up and crud holding it in but it will slide out.

4. Once you get the shafts out, it's time to start getting the old joints out. Start by clamping the shaft down in a vice (if you have one) and getting the hubs off.

5. You don't need to take the hubs off, but it makes it easer to handle everything if you do. To get the hubs off, remove the cotter pin, then the nut guard, then there is a springy washer to get off. Then you'll need the breaker bar and the 36mm Socket to get the last nut off...
  
6. After the big nut is removed, you'll find a washer then the hub slip right off.
 
7. Next we need to get the c-clips off the old joints so we can pound them out. Mine were really dirty and rusty, so they didn't want to come off easily, but a screwdriver seemed to get them off after some beating. I did notice there were a few that were hard to hammer out b/c of the way the clips were situated. They were perfectly centered and hard to get a screwdriver on the ends for beating. If you aren't sure how the clips come off you might want to look at the new joints until you figure out how they work. You can barely see how the clips came off already in the first picture.
 
8. once you get all 4 clips out, it's time to beat the joints out. This would have been much easier if I had a real hammer ... course the vice made it a lot easier so... Anyway, you can see how I used the 1 1/4 & 7/8 sockets with the extension to beat the joints out. You just need to beat the joint far enough one way to have the cap on the other side come out, then beat it back the other way for the other cap to come out and it will squeeze out of the ears.
  
9. Now we get to put the new joints in. Be careful with the new joint & the caps. You don't want to drop a cap and have the needle bearing fly everywhere. First thing I did was to remove two opposite caps so that you can get the joint into the ears. Once you get the caps off, squeezt the joint in then press the caps in from the outsides. I found my bench vice to be perfect for "pressing" in the caps.
  
10. After you press the caps in you'll need to put the new clips in. I found mine to not always be in the perfect position for getting the clips in, so a little more pounding with the hammer & sockets setup was required. I also tried to remember to have the clips in as off center as possible to help with future removal.
 
11. Now you just need to get the other shaft attached and you pretty much done...
 
12. Now you can put the hubs back on the shafts(if you removed em), slide the shafts back in, get the caliper & hub bolts back in and wheels back on and thats about it...
|
-Patrick
|