78 4x4 44front

there is a U joint in the knuckle for the 4x4 drive shaft its located just behind the calipers (to help you locate)

(just found this link)
Dana 44 Front Axle Shaft U-joint Replacement .: Articles

problem is... the ujoints are factory orginal and I swear they are never meant to be replaced.. how the heck do I pull off this OEM ujoint its like its super pressed into the arms.. you cant use a press on them because the "caps" are mushroom shaped so they will never press out

 

Inner Clip ujoints i dont like to pound on the outsides of the yokes to much makes it a real pain if the ears get sprung and you cant get the snap ring back in the groove cause its not fully exposed anymore. I like to torch those out till all thats in the yoke is the caps and allow them to cool before you pound em out. I always try to apply force in such a way that the force it pushing away from the groove.

Outer clips you can do the same usually dont have any problem if you suspend the ujoint in a spread vice resting horizontally on the ears of the yoke or ujoint (opposite half of the axle) that you arent trying to drive the caps out of. Then smack the top of the suspended yoke and it usually drives the caps right out with out distorting the ears in such a way that the snap ring groove is concealed when you put the new cap in. Very seldom have i had a problem doing those like and usually takes little force. Im sure thats unprofessional as hell.

When reinstalling get the yoke clean till they shine put some antisieze on the caps or in the yoke and they slide right in with little force but a some light taps with a mallet. I seldom use a press and seldom have any problems with my half baked method.

Thats how i do it right or wrong....

few SAFETY tips when torching a ujoint that hollow part in the ends will become like a Saudi oil well fire and shoot a flame 3 feet back at ya so becarefully wear long sleeves and leather gloves for the grease spattering and torch away from you.

 

this sounds like a fun adventure, thanks for the tips

I seriously still think this is impossible, it looks like if I try I will for sure bend something I just was debating taking the part to the local tire shop and saying hi please replace this for me haha.

 

if you torch em the heat will prob loosen things up some

 

Forget trying to pound them out with a hammer......it's never gonna happen. At the very least, you'll need a "C" style press(commonly used to replace ball joints). Do NOT use one of the cheap Harbor Freight models. Autozone has a pretty sturdy one that you can borrow. Use a strong impact wrench to tighten the screw. More than likely, the frame will begin to distort before the cap ever moves. The trick is to tighten the screw as tight as possible.....without damaging the press. Then removing the impact and wack the adjustment screw with a hammer. This should break the cap loose and allow you to tighten the screw a little more. Put the impact back on it, tighten the screw, wack it with a hammer again.....and keep repeating this process until you get the caps off. It's major PITA. But it's the only way to do it without a large hydraulic press.

The axle shafts are heat treated. I would not torch them.......

 

les schwab did it for 30 bucks.. I cheated! just took the part into them

 

Cheater---->

 

and probably worth every penny.