I heard that knowing clunk when I put it in reverse today. I'm going to change out all the u-joints in the drive shaft and rear axle shafts. Any tips before I start? Thanks for your help.

Buy Spicer!

Spicer is good. I had some alternatives listed on the common parts page if they are still available. I'd get non greasable (no zerks) because most likely you will never grease them. Buy the strap/bolt kit to go along with them.

Make SURE to seat the caps inside the little tabs in the yokes.

You hardly notice one is outside the tab, till the bolts are cross-threaded with the strap not aligning the holes.

And being fine-threaded bolts, they'll go a long ways X-threaded before you realize it.................

Thanks guys. Now to find a lift ........

Jackstands? You'd be surprised at what I've got done with 'em, including complete exhaust - headers to tips...

Lift isn't necessary, it can easily be done on jack stands. Of course a lift is a little easier on your u-joints, but that's a different story.

I did mine the other year, though I used Moog instead of Spicer.

Here's a good set of instructions, go to the point you need and stop: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144562

I put the rear on jackstands and blocked the front well. I also made a great tool to use in a hydraulic press to both remove the old and center the new ones in the shafts. Press them out while putting pressure on only 1 side of the shafts. When the new ones are in, take the tool off the press and use a length of rerod like a tamper to push the u-joint out against the clips.

One suggestion, put a piece of carpet under the car before you start. Drop a screw or bolt and it's not going to skitter all over the place.

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I'll give it a try.

I have had good luck with NAPA ujoints, too.

I agree with not getting the grease fittings... they also can bind in the yoke.

I love my Harbor Freight press. Makes short work of ujoints!

If you don't have a floor press, you can use a ball-joint/u-joint c clamp press. That's what I used on mine. Lots of videos on YouTube.

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I agree, works fine. Also, NAPA now has SKF brand u-joints.


Joel

One other suggestion. When I did mine, I used a paint pen and marked everything from how joints aligned to which end of the half-shafts are on the outside as I was taking things apart. Not knowing if there were any potential balance issues etc, I was insured that everything went back together exactly as they came apart.

good idea. I used a grease pen, but the idea is the same.

The best I can figure, the driveshafts came from Dana with the differential. They were balanced as a unit, I suspect. Don't know for sure, but that seems to make sense.

I asked Wil Cooksey about it, but he didn't remember if they came in as an assembly or not.

Wow, Thanks for all the inputs. I do have access to a press so this should be easy (I've changed a lot of u-joints out over the years). My only hesitation was how to get to the darn things with the car being so low. Jacking this Vette up takes a careful hand and eye. I don't trust lifting it up anywhere on the side, just looks to sketchy and I'm afraid of tweaking or bending the panels.

If you haven't already, check out the Jackman tool. It slips between the exhaust pipes and lifts the rear up via the batwing using a floorjack. Happens I made a little adaption to mine at the same time I made the u-joint tool. I had a nice large circular piece of steel. I countersunk for the bolt and it bolts onto the adapter. The circular steel fits in the cup of the jack and won't slide - between the 2 of them, they worked great.

Loosened one axle nut along with the lug nuts, lifted it including using both the jack and jack-stands to support the car and remove the one side and redid it. Put it all back together then went onto the other side.

Where do I get a jackman tool?

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Here's where I bought mine: http://www.corvettegadgetman.com/products3.html
I thought it was called Jackman when I bought mine, looks like it's Gadgetman now.

I made a little modification to mine. I added a disc to the bottom that fits into the cup of the jack so it won't slide off and the Bolton that came with the adapter didn't fit on my jack. This works well

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Awesome Thanks.