differential is at the shop for ring and pinion swap and new clutches.

some questions:

my driveshaft and halfshafts are steel-- good or bad?

are the halfshafts balanced in some way--do they have to go back in a certain way?

any tips on removing the ujoints? they're rusted in there pretty good.

thanks in advance!

Steel is good, a little heavier, but also stronger.

They are balanced and can go back in any way you want.

A large vise or press for getting the old joints out.

What joints are you going back with? Neapco or spicer?

i got the neapco brute force from advance auto.

i have a vise but they are so rusted. i ended up taking it out of the vise and setting it on the floor with a big socket on the bottom and a smaller one on top and beat on it w/a hammer.
it pushed through, but the cap is sill stuck.

i sprayed them good with pb blaster. ill try again in the morning.

It's very easy to get in trouble using a press, you can bend the flanges if you're not careful.

I just went thru this (the rusted part) on my 67.

The PB helps a lot. The shock of using a socket also helps break the rust bond.

On the joints that have one of the ends bolted in, put the u-joint cross in the vise (the part of the cross that is not in the halfshaft). With the cap you want to remove facing up, put a socket(larger than the cap)on top of that and hit it with a hammer.

Your hammer needs to be a hefty one, not a ball peen that only has a one inch round end but a heavy hammer like a 3 lb.

This is really a 2 person job when the caps are rusted in.

A vice isn't going to do it when you're trying to use it as a press.

Heat will help but you need at least a Mapp Gas torch and they are really slow, a real torch is much better.

It can be a real bitch, I had 3 1/2 hours in doing just 2 half shafts.

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How is the cap stuck, Matt? Did it move at all? They can get caught on the circlip groove.

If it's partially out, you can push it side to side and rock it out with a punch or chisel.

Be grateful you have the steel ones

Nice and strong

well i gave up on the ujoints and let the shop do them for $20 each. i picked up everything today. final bill for r/p swap, new clutch install, and 6 ujoint r/r was like $560, with me supplying the parts.

tailhousing is off now and ill be swapping the drive gear to a 15t gray. the clip goes on the rear hole right?-towards the back of the car?

i found out that i broke a sway bar bracket on the rear drivers' side that i had to order. also the passenger side e-brake is also broken-ill repair this later on.

ill start reassembling stuff tommorow.

any loctitie on anything like tailhousing bolts, ujoint straps, c-beam bolts, etc?

also, ill be filling the diff while i have it out. how do i know when it's full?

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No loctite, just the correct torque.

Diff. level - anywhere from flush with the bottom threads to 1/4 inch below that.

everything is back together. took it for a drive and all seems good. some whine but its hard to hear over the exhaust and stereo. they are richmond gears, 3.75 ratio.

do i need to break in the gears?-they are used.
clutches and bearings are new though.

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Wouldn't be a bad idea, they'll be a slightly different patten than they were, load/unload and don't hammer them for a bit.

I've heard of some complaints with gear whine and aftermarket gear sets.

Did you add fiction modifier when you put the differential fluid in?

Matthew

i used about 1.5 qts. mobile one synthetic 75w-90 gear oil. it says it has limited slip additives already in it.
no extra friction modifier was added.