Drive shaft removal

Cherryroverp6

New Member
Hello everyone,
This evening I was attempting to remove the drive shaft to check the u joints while the transmission was out. Apon attempting to fit tools at the rear yoke towards the diff I was unable to fit a socket or even a wrench behind it without hitting up against the tube. Is there any way to remove the bolts without dropping the support bracket? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks
-Brendan
 
I usually take the wheel off, then use a socket on the upper bolts with a couple of 10" extension bars and a breaker bar.

When you have removed the upper bolts, let the handbrake off, turn the wheel 180°, put the handbrake back on again and take the other two out, which are now on the top. Don't let the car run away :cool:

That way you aren't putting an enormous amount of pressure on a bolt, whilst lying underneath a car.

Richard
 
I think the OP might mean the rear propshaft bolts, especially since he's one of those American chaps, so in that case, the heads of the bolts are locked against a ridge in the rear of the flange, so the shaft needs to be held to stop it turning, and then use a 9/16"AF thinwall offset ring spanner to undo the nuts. I've never had any problems with the spanner hitting the tube or the crossmember. If you have lots of cash you can use a 9/16" AF 3/8" drive flexi-socket, and if you buy an impact version you can even use that with a rattle gun.
 
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You are right about which shaft! It seems that the shaft bolts need to be held on both sides for the side towards the rear end. Perhaps one is loose
 
Do the original bolts have overly large heads in order to stop them turning ?
If so I wonder if the OP's bolts have been replaced with ones with that have smaller heads and can turn ?
I know sometimes these 3/8" ? UNF bolts can have 5/8" heads instead of 9/16", but use a 9/16" nut.
 
Stock size, but "high tensile". I have seen a couple over the years that enough knocked off the corners of the hex head to not lock on the flange and spin, but that was a car that had plenty of other evidence of ham-fisted workmanship.

Yours
Vern
 
vern is right there, it doesn't take much off the corner and the nuts will spin but you can get an open end spanner (the late seventees/early eighties type with thinner shoulders) onto them if they do. The bolts can also start spinning once they get a little loose...
 
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