This is an outstanding guide. Shown doing so with tools everyone would have, no need to spend 80 bucks on a press set, clean concise and very well explained
I've watched this video over and over! You've saved me $585.00 THIS video is the best!!! Very simple and easy!!!👍👍 I went and bought a impact drill and a floor jack and jack stands from the pawnshop for less than $200.00 and did the job myself!😉😊☺😁😎🤗✌👍👍
In my 30 + years as a heavy equipment mechanic I think I saw one woman turning wrenches for a living. Some women LIKE mechanically inclined guys, few are willing to try turning wrenches... even at home even for a couple of bolts! Be very grateful you have a woman that is that interested in your "hobby"! Besides that there must be a million guys out there that would go crazy to see a female turning a wrench! Bravo, she is a keeper!
She worked for a top flight repair shop here in Las Vegas, Freightliner I think, she looked competent to me, carried herself like she knew what she was about. Huge shop she worked at had to have had 20 bays at least.
6:32 A good tip for situations like that is to take the castle nut and thread it on upside down so that the end of the bolt is flush with the bottom of the castle nut. This will help prevent flaring of a bolt when hammering it out.
Very impressed with your wife willing to pitch in and help. You are a VERY VERY lucky guy. I hope you took her out to a nice dinner or movie or something for helping you.
A wife and a vette, you're living the life there. Now if you can manage kid in that equation, you'll be perfect. On the tie rod, you should leave the nut on while hitting it with a hammer to protect the threads. And you should at least try to use that vice to press the U Joint out before beating it. They are aluminum after all. And speaking of perfect, don't forget you have two more U joints on the driveshaft. Which are loads of fun, being that you have to drop the exhaust to get to them. But on the plus side, you don't have to drop the impossible to remove C channel brace, as you can pry the shaft past it.... And remember, there are never enough jack stands under a C4....
After replacing some missing screws in the rocker molding and inner wheel house I still had a "rattle" at around 20 mph coming from the left rear wheel. Jacked the car up and grabbed the half shaft and it moved at least 1/8". Watched your video and everything went as planned except for one thing. As soon as It took off the castle nut and grabbed onto the tie rod end it came apart. Well, that made life easier !!! Off to Goodyear where I had new u-joints installed and it all went back together. No more rattle !!!
The only thing I see wrong with this is the lack of eye safety. Those caps can be brittle, as can the extension and hammer can chip and fly at bullet speed. I have a piece of hammer shrapnel in my leg from a old hammer that had no imperfections on it at all. It went in through coveralls, jeans, a pair of long socks and long johns! It stopped over two inches into my calf muscle! Better safe than sorry. I do enjoy your videos as they are kind of a primer for me to prepare for C4 ownership in the near future. Thanks again for your informative content.
you could have used that hammer on the side of the hub where the tie rod end went through. Probably would have shocked the end out without having to hit the stud or use a pickle fork. Also I would have used the vise as my press to avoid banging on the yoke ends. One other thing, if you had put the clip in the side you weren't pressing on it would have stopped the possibility of oversetting the cap. That's my $0.03 worth but all in all a good video!
awww! The wifey helping is awesome...and HOT! I have a 1989 Corvette that I work on myself. Love the video...it will help me alot when I take mine out on payday! Thanks and kudos to you both!
Instead of pounding on the stud, put the castle it back on a few threads and hit the nut. Don't have to worry about mushrooming the stud and you won't need the pickle fork.
The old timers used to be able to give the spindle a couple of sharp raps where the tie rod end goes through. I don't think that trick will work on these because I believe the spindle mount is made of aluminum. It works almost every time on the regular iron ones.
A mechanics trick for removing ball joints is to take the castellated nut and reinstall it upside down on the stud until the threads almost show then you can hit the stud pretty hard without damaging the threads and you don't need to use that pickle fork.
Thanks for posting this video. My C4 doesn't need this done yet, but I'll keep this in my pocket for when the day comes. I've had my wife help me from time to time on light stuff, but I suspect she can't wait to go back in the house. I bow to your talents in bringing the fairer sex into our hobby :-)
You can probably save your tie rod seals, prevent needing a pickle fork, and prevent tie rod thread mushrooming by doing a common trick: put the original nut back on loosely and then tap on that with your heavy instrument of choice. Any damage goes to the nut rather than the shaft and you can get it a bit further out, generally enough to lift it by hand. Just a thought.
Yeah, pickle forks are a last resort. I find just hitting the spindle on the side where whatever you are trying to remove will pop your ball joint, tie rod, toe rod etc.
Wear safety glasses when upside down under a car. You have a vise, you could have pressed those out and the new ones in. No banging and ruining sockets and extensions.
What if instead of the breaker bar with rubber hose on it to hold the axle from turning use the E-Brake. Always remove rings and watches that way you can keep your fingers. They say kids won't get dirty...HA.
I just did everything you advised and can not get the drive shaft out. It’s so tight in there. Is it because I only have the one side jacked up? Should not sides be in the air?
Ben, would you be willing to do a video of lowering the c4 Corvette? I would like to see it done. I have the lowering kit, however I haven't installed it. Good video's, keep them up!
next time, leave the nut on flush and shock it with a hammer... or.. better yet, use 2 hammers and shock the tie rod around the ball joint. and.. BTY.. Your wife is cool !! When she said she would help, I thought for sure you were going to have her climb in and mash on the brakes..
Why did you have to replace them in the first place? Did they make a "bad sounds"? Would you be able to describe the sound? I have a 86 vette, and she's making a light squeaking in the rear every time the tire rotates at lower speeds (probably higher speeds too but hard to hear with the engine working). It happens regardless if I'm accelerating or easing off the gas. Also, a separate issue I have when I accelerate sometimes, she makes a sharper louder "trtrtrtrtrtrtr" sound. Remember when as kids we'd run over empty soda cans with the tires of our bikes so the can rolls up to the frame so we'd pretend they were motorcycles cause of the sound? That's the best way I can describe that sound. It gets louder and intense the harder I accelerate.
when you or your wife is working on the car use safety glasses when your smacking the u joint your wife is looking directly at the hammer without glasses all it takes is one small metallic debris at high velocity in the eye and its all over
You will probably start hearing some squeaking from the rear when you start accelerating...?You will also hear a " clunk " also when you start accelerating...
i had to replace a Corvette 1/2 Shaft - BROKE - the Whole Darn thing TWISTED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CARDBOARD INSIDE !!!!! i think the OWNER LAUNCHED IT !!!!!!!! PREVIOUS MONTH DIFF WAS REBUILT
you have something else loose on your car i took my arm off just like you did and it was still stiff as shit had to take my lower arm off and my the stabilizer lin k
Believe it or not, those are factory GM mufflers! And also the only small part where it is beginning to come through is on the bottom drivers side. The rest look decent
WOW those u joints look pretty but those half shafts look like shit so nasty dirty with 300,000 miles worth of crap. Y’all mud boggin that vette and no wash ever.
This is an outstanding guide. Shown doing so with tools everyone would have, no need to spend 80 bucks on a press set, clean concise and very well explained
I've watched this video over and over! You've saved me $585.00
THIS video is the best!!! Very simple and easy!!!👍👍
I went and bought a impact drill and a floor jack and jack stands from the pawnshop for less than $200.00 and did the job myself!😉😊☺😁😎🤗✌👍👍
In my 30 + years as a heavy equipment mechanic I think I saw one woman turning wrenches for a living. Some women LIKE mechanically inclined guys, few are willing to try turning wrenches... even at home even for a couple of bolts! Be very grateful you have a woman that is that interested in your "hobby"! Besides that there must be a million guys out there that would go crazy to see a female turning a wrench! Bravo, she is a keeper!
that one woman mechanic you saw...could she fix anything?
She worked for a top flight repair shop here in Las Vegas, Freightliner I think, she looked competent to me, carried herself like she knew what she was about. Huge shop she worked at had to have had 20 bays at least.
Thanks for the great video! My 13 year old daughter gave me a hand and we got it done in an hour.
Awesome work Ben. Your wife looks like she enjoys helping which is great.
6:32 A good tip for situations like that is to take the castle nut and thread it on upside down so that the end of the bolt is flush with the bottom of the castle nut. This will help prevent flaring of a bolt when hammering it out.
Very impressed with your wife willing to pitch in and help. You are a VERY VERY lucky guy. I hope you took her out to a nice dinner or movie or something for helping you.
A wife and a vette, you're living the life there. Now if you can manage kid in that equation, you'll be perfect.
On the tie rod, you should leave the nut on while hitting it with a hammer to protect the threads. And you should at least try to use that vice to press the U Joint out before beating it. They are aluminum after all.
And speaking of perfect, don't forget you have two more U joints on the driveshaft. Which are loads of fun, being that you have to drop the exhaust to get to them. But on the plus side, you don't have to drop the impossible to remove C channel brace, as you can pry the shaft past it.... And remember, there are never enough jack stands under a C4....
After replacing some missing screws in the rocker molding and inner wheel house I still had a "rattle" at around 20 mph coming from the left rear wheel. Jacked the car up and grabbed the half shaft and it moved at least 1/8". Watched your video and everything went as planned except for one thing. As soon as It took off the castle nut and grabbed onto the tie rod end it came apart. Well, that made life easier !!! Off to Goodyear where I had new u-joints installed and it all went back together. No more rattle !!!
That socket U-joint trick is how I learned to do them 30 some years ago... pretty simple and avoids a lot of hassle setting up on a press or whatever.
The only thing I see wrong with this is the lack of eye safety. Those caps can be brittle, as can the extension and hammer can chip and fly at bullet speed. I have a piece of hammer shrapnel in my leg from a old hammer that had no imperfections on it at all. It went in through coveralls, jeans, a pair of long socks and long johns! It stopped over two inches into my calf muscle! Better safe than sorry. I do enjoy your videos as they are kind of a primer for me to prepare for C4 ownership in the near future. Thanks again for your informative content.
You could probably just set the emergency brake to keep the wheel from turning.
Ben, you have a winner in your wife. I hope you let her know often. Very very cool that she helps.
Very beautiful wife. Sweet smile. Awesome that she helps out. Hopefully you help her on some of her stuff too. Great video. Helped me!
Simply put.Ben is a lucky man.
you could have used that hammer on the side of the hub where the tie rod end went through. Probably would have shocked the end out without having to hit the stud or use a pickle fork. Also I would have used the vise as my press to avoid banging on the yoke ends. One other thing, if you had put the clip in the side you weren't pressing on it would have stopped the possibility of oversetting the cap. That's my $0.03 worth but all in all a good video!
Thanks for the video young man. I am looking at an 85 Corvette tomorrow for purchase. Your videos are very helpful.
awww! The wifey helping is awesome...and HOT! I have a 1989 Corvette that I work on myself. Love the video...it will help me alot when I take mine out on payday! Thanks and kudos to you both!
Instead of pounding on the stud, put the castle it back on a few threads and hit the nut. Don't have to worry about mushrooming the stud and you won't need the pickle fork.
The old timers used to be able to give the spindle a couple of sharp raps where the tie rod end goes through. I don't think that trick will work on these because I believe the spindle mount is made of aluminum. It works almost every time on the regular iron ones.
Great tutorial! I'll be doing this to my '89 six-speed soon
God What a Woman! She's a KEEPER!
Great job explaining the work.I just removed my axles and it worked.
A mechanics trick for removing ball joints is to take the castellated nut and reinstall it upside down on the stud until the threads almost show then you can hit the stud pretty hard without damaging the threads and you don't need to use that pickle fork.
I'll use that trick for sure next time. Funny thing I'd I learned it once but just now remembered that I did!
Good info Ben. I'm going to look into this and hope it solves some vibration issues.
Thanks for sharing! Now I need to buy a pickle fork.
Thanks for posting this video. My C4 doesn't need this done yet, but I'll keep this in my pocket for when the day comes. I've had my wife help me from time to time on light stuff, but I suspect she can't wait to go back in the house. I bow to your talents in bringing the fairer sex into our hobby :-)
Ha, I wouldn't call it a talent. I have almost zero to do with it!
Thanks Ben. Your videos have been a great resource.
Great job- learned something new-Thank you
DONT HIT TIE ROD LIKE THAT AND PICKLE FORK IS LAST RESORT...... TAP SIDE OF KNUCKLE LOL
Thanks Ben for another great video!
You can probably save your tie rod seals, prevent needing a pickle fork, and prevent tie rod thread mushrooming by doing a common trick: put the original nut back on loosely and then tap on that with your heavy instrument of choice. Any damage goes to the nut rather than the shaft and you can get it a bit further out, generally enough to lift it by hand. Just a thought.
Yeah, pickle forks are a last resort. I find just hitting the spindle on the side where whatever you are trying to remove will pop your ball joint, tie rod, toe rod etc.
You're a lucky man there Ben. I wish my wife would come help me work on the cars. But I guess one girl under the hood is enough. Lol
great video and teamwork with the wifey Ben
Wear safety glasses when upside down under a car. You have a vise, you could have pressed those out and the new ones in. No banging and ruining sockets and extensions.
What if instead of the breaker bar with rubber hose on it to hold the axle from turning use the E-Brake. Always remove rings and watches that way you can keep your fingers. They say kids won't get dirty...HA.
Thanks, I have to do mine, 88 vette. Video helped alot
I just did everything you advised and can not get the drive shaft out. It’s so tight in there. Is it because I only have the one side jacked up? Should not sides be in the air?
Ben, would you be willing to do a video of lowering the c4 Corvette? I would like to see it done. I have the lowering kit, however I haven't installed it. Good video's, keep them up!
+Kevin S I don't have a c4 to do it on sadly
What brand u joints and part # do you use for your C3 1980 corvettes? I have 1330 on my half shafts
Do you have to put the half shaft at the same side you remove them or does it matter
Should have used that vise in front of you. A whole lot smoother
Well, I've got plenty of lube and a big hammer, now I just need a corvette and some band aids!
next time, leave the nut on flush and shock it with a hammer... or.. better yet, use 2 hammers and shock the tie rod around the ball joint. and.. BTY.. Your wife is cool !! When she said she would help, I thought for sure you were going to have her climb in and mash on the brakes..
+grabir01 Ha, if she wants to help, she is getting dirty for sure
Good demonstration
Great video
is it me ,or did you put the grease zerks pointed toward the inside?
He said make sure the fitting is facing out,watch it again.
the “half shafts” between the diff and the wheel use a solid u-joint, greasables will break
Debatable, when you do oil also oil chassis
Great vid Ben.
you are a godsend
when should this be done?
good information
Why did you have to replace them in the first place? Did they make a "bad sounds"? Would you be able to describe the sound?
I have a 86 vette, and she's making a light squeaking in the rear every time the tire rotates at lower speeds (probably higher speeds too but hard to hear with the engine working). It happens regardless if I'm accelerating or easing off the gas. Also, a separate issue I have when I accelerate sometimes, she makes a sharper louder "trtrtrtrtrtrtr" sound. Remember when as kids we'd run over empty soda cans with the tires of our bikes so the can rolls up to the frame so we'd pretend they were motorcycles cause of the sound? That's the best way I can describe that sound. It gets louder and intense the harder I accelerate.
Great video 😎👍
Great Dentist! :)
Nice job.
Spraying WD-40 on bolts are a waste of time. It does work nuts.
I'm afraid you're right. Some of mine didn't come loose. Any ideas?
Do they go back in as easily as they came out?
If you hit just that knuckle with a large hammer, the joint will fall out.
Exhaust next. :-)
hii... its time to replace the u joints in my 85 vette, what brand or code # of "u joints" should i use ?
thanks for the super helpful video :-)
+Eyal 89 I just used the ones they have in stock at the auto parts store
when you or your wife is working on the car use safety glasses
when your smacking the u joint your wife is looking directly at the hammer without glasses
all it takes is one small metallic debris at high velocity in the eye and its all over
Is it necessary to replace the straps and bolts or can they be reused
Reuse them.
@@danlemke6407 thanks
Could you use your emergency brake to keep the wheels from turning?
You could of you had a working brake. When this video was made, mine wasn't working
Ben, Why don't you set the emergency brake to hold the rotors?
+John Mulhall When this video was shot, the parking brake was next on the list. It wouldn't hold the wheels like I needed it to
Good reason !
is there anyway to tell if U-Joint is bad without removing the 1/2 shaft?
You will probably start hearing some squeaking from the rear when you start accelerating...?You will also hear a " clunk " also when you start accelerating...
@ 7:29 you can see the half shaft move down
14:20 that seems too tight, you need to center it slightly. Use a vice to support the caps and lightly hammer each ear of the shaft.
Now you owe yer wife a nail job,does she hire out i need a helper like her in my shop.
Step 1. Never install u-joints with a hammer
Put the nut back on the stud before you whack it with the hammer.
Why do other mechanics charge me 700+ and say it’s gonna take about a week to fix it?
don't you have the grease nipples facing the wrong way there Ben?
+Iain Hall It is possible. I didn't think about it until they were all installed in the half shaft
It will probably not be possible to fit a grease gun on to those nipples
Maybe if you rotate them around you can find a way. I did grease them up prior to install. Hopefully they will last another 100k
but ya would have to get up and reset it a few times.
i had to replace a Corvette 1/2 Shaft - BROKE - the Whole Darn thing TWISTED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CARDBOARD INSIDE !!!!!
i think the OWNER LAUNCHED IT !!!!!!!!
PREVIOUS MONTH DIFF WAS REBUILT
You definitely need new mufflers. You must live up north where they put salt on the roads
Has factory mufflers and I live in Texas
Your wife should do more car videos.
Good idea.I agree,too pretty to be stuck behind the camera.
you have something else loose on your car i took my arm off just like you did and it was still stiff as shit had to take my lower arm off and my the stabilizer lin k
it looks like mufflers are in your near future on that c4!
Believe it or not, those are factory GM mufflers! And also the only small part where it is beginning to come through is on the bottom drivers side. The rest look decent
TheCorvetteBen m
WOW those u joints look pretty but those half shafts look like shit so nasty dirty with 300,000 miles worth of crap. Y’all mud boggin that vette and no wash ever.
I did the passenger side. Not too easy, lol.