drive shaft removal

[stevensani]

Hi there
Can anyone help.
Fitting a 3.7 dif to my morris minor this weekend but have not a clue how to get the drive shafts out.
Do I need a special tool to extract them or is there an easy way.

Any information would be of help
Thanks

[chrisryder]

simple, once you've got all the oil drained out of the axle:

take the wheels off.

undo the two screws that hold the drum on.

remove drum (may require de-adjusting the shoes)

remove the screw (like the drum screws) that holds the half-shaft flange to the hub.

pull the shaft out (flange and all, it's all one piece). top tip, keep an old rag in your hand to wipe the shaft as you pull it out, it'll be all oily even once the axle is empty. avoid getting oil on the brake shoes!

repeat for other side, and refit with new gasket.

[linearaudio]

Easy-peasy!!
Jack up, support on axle stands each side.
Remove rear wheels.
Remove brake drums(usually 2 pozidrive csk head screws). Can be an advantage to slacken off the brake adjuster first, a screwdriver cam accessed through the big hole in the drum to the lower end of the slave cylinder, as this makes it easier to slide the drum off.
There is now a round plate the same diameter as the hub, about 8mm thick, located over the 4 wheel studs and held by another pozidrive screw. Remove this screw, a gentle tap on the rear of this plate, and it slips off the hub with the driveshaft attached, leaving the hub, bearing and wheel studs in place! Drain the diff oil first or it will tend to exit via the axle tube
Rest is pretty self explanatory, just make sure you end up with a filler plug, as some are in the diff housing rather than the axle.
I didn't, and had to fill with a pre-determined amount of oil through one axle tube end, after having fitted the other side complete and jacking up to acheive a slope for the oil to run down.....

Saw your post as I wrote, Chris, but thought the comment about the filler plug was worth throwing in!!

[linearaudio]

PS are you really sure you need a 3.7 diff? I have a lovely 4.55 I'll swap if you pay the postage (worth a try!!)

[stevensani]

Thanks to everybody for the the fast replies . Will be doing it Sat.
Thansks

[bmcecosse]

It's a one hour job - just make sure you have a new joint and new oil ready to hand.

[mike.perry]

Make sure that you have enough space either side to pull the half shafts out

[bmcecosse]

You only need to pull them out 6".....

[Alec]

Hello stevensani,

the hardest part is getting them lined up with the differential splines when putting them back in, you have to compensate for the droop of the inboard end of the half shaft.

Alec

[stevensani]

Thanks again to you all.