Is there a trick to getting the 4 bolts that connect the half shaft to the differential? I'm using an 18mm socket with a 10 inch ratchet and can't budge them. Has anyone had luck with getting the 4 bolts off?

 

Undo the nuts, not the bolts. They will be tight so you would be better off with an impact gun to break them free. Also took me a while to figure out they aren't metric, they are 11/16th.

 

Yeah, I was using the rachet to get the outside nuts off. Did you have to use an impact gun to get them off?

 

I tried a big breaker bar and struggled to stop it all rotating as the back axle was out of the car, so i switched to the impact gun and rattled them off. I could tell when the gun rattled away for a second or two that they were on there pretty good.

 

Hi,

either an impact gun or a long ratchet will work. The nuts are torqued down with 81-99 Nm. That's quite a lot and if you add some more force to overcome some rust etc you probably won't have much success just with a small ratchet.

Cheers, Alexander

 

I bought an electric impact gun that's good for 365 ft-lbs, so if this doesn't do it, then I don't know what will. I'll give it another go tomorrow morning with the new gun.

Thanks for all the input.

 

On my car I used an 11/16 combo wrench on the back, and about 2 feet of extensions between an 11/16 socket, and an electric impact gun. I was able to get them off in the junkyard with a 2 ft breaker bar instead of the impact, but it was pretty miserable and took a while.

Once you break them loose, either remove the nut completely, or only back it off a full turn from snug, if it's halfway off it will hit the U-joint when you try and rotate the halfshaft for clearance to the next bolt.

 

If you can't fit the gun in that space, I'd use an 11/16 box end and a 4 lb maul on the wrench to break them. But God has graced us with the greatest tool, the Milwaukee 18v impact...I love that gun. Just did the shocks and struts on my work van.

 

Decided to give it another try. Looks like 365 ft-lbs won't do it either. This is ridiculous.

How long did you try with the impact gun before it gave out?

 

The fasteners/nuts have been 11/16" since 1961 when the 'E' Type was introduced!!!!!!!!!!!

bob

 

Yeah, I ended up getting an 11/16 th socket for the impact gun.

The funny things is that I decided to replace the whole axle shaft/spindle/hub assembly in attempt fix what I think is a noisy wheel bearing. But this way has probably turned out to be more difficult and costly...

 

It's the exact same thing I did and went through with my own. I had a bad outer U-joint, and bought a whole shaft thinking it's just four bolts, how bad can it be, right? And same result as you. Couldn't so much as budge one. I finally ended up doing the U-joint itself on the car, with a Ball Joint press kit from Harbor Freight and a hub puller I got on e-bay. Got pretty good at it, after I bodged up the first attempt. I still have to do the other side sometime, after I order another hub nut.

 

Yeah, it's unfortunate. Looks like I'll live with the noisy wheel until I have time and money for the right tools to do it the right way. At least it's not just me.

 

 

Count Iblis,

Did you have to cut some bolts/nuts? Not sure if it's worth buying more tools and bolts/nuts at this point. I've spent close to $400 in parts and tools at this point and still have gotten no where.

 

 

I bought a MAPP torch set at Home Depot. It puts out a small flame almost as hot as a oxy acetylene and can heat nuts to red very quickly without the problem of heating the surrounding area that you get with propane. The little oxygen cylinders don't last very long but they're only about $11.

 

Interesting suggestion, but I think I will do the job the right way this time and put a new bearing in, instead of just replacing the assembly with an old used one.

 

My comment was only in regards to removing the frozen nuts.

 

Yeah, I needed to remove the 4 nuts so that I could replace the shaft/hub assembly altogether with a used assembly, to resolve the noisy wheel bearing issue. Instead, I plan on actually replacing the bearing. So I think I'm done trying to get the 4 bolts off for now.

Thanks for the suggestion though.