Just getting everything together for new front hubs and drive side cv replacement. In Haynes manual it states to split ball joint and tie rod from hub. But putting caliper on cv joint looks like I should be able to just pull it through steering spindle. OD of cv is 68mm and pilot on hub is supposed to be 72mm. So in all reality since changing both looks like I can just pull axle hub as one unit right off without messing with suspension.

 

Going to move you to the Stock Problems/Issues area.

Modmini has allot of Youtube vids out there. Below is one for the cv

 

I just take the bottom ball joint off and the rotor and caliper to pull the axle out. then pull the hub. I don't take anything else apart.

 

I break the outer ball joint and tie rod end loose of the knuckle and then you've got plenty of articulation to get the axle out.

 

Rather than popping the ball joint from the taper (which could tear the rubber seal), couldn't you just remove the two carrier bolts and drop it out the bottom of the knuckle while still attached to the control arm?

 

+1

 

You could, but the ball joint isn't usually the easiest thing to pop out of the knuckle if you don't have an air hammer, and even when you do have an air hammer you almost always risk doing damage to the ball joint anyway.

Removing the ball joint from the lower control arm is quick and much easier to do than removing it from the knuckle. We have a special ball joint tool to pop the joint loose, but you could use two large hammers on either side of the lower control arm, one to hit the other as a dolly of sorts.

 

This just points out the difference from MI rusty cars to our Southern rust free cars. I always imagine you working with a torch in one hand and wrench in the other.

Down here we just smack the control arm with a sledge hammer and it pops apart. No ball joint tool, or taking it off the knuckle.

 

Surprisingly enough I don't break the torch out near as much as I'd like, but lemme tell ya... I savor every moment of working on southern cars when we get the chance to do so.

 

and then we sit down in the shade with some ice tea....because we're sweating in February