LUVTruck.com

just came in from trying to get my front end off(1980 4x4) can some body tell me what i am missing? is the front pumpkin like a ford carrier or do i have to take the whole front end out?

If you state more specifically what you are trying to remove, then I'm sure there are a few of us here that will be able to assist you.

guess i was tired last night i am trying to remove the front differential and don't know exactly what i need to remove. how does a guy remove the half shafts thanks in advance

Start at the wheels and work your way in. You pretty much have to disassemble the entire front suspension to get the shafts out. You have to get the shafts out to get the diff out.

The Haynes LUV shop manual available at most parts stores has a section in the back the gives a step by step procedure of how to remove the axle assembly, remove the shafts, and get to the front differential. It would do a better job of telling you how to go about it than I could.

Out of curiosity, why are you pulling the front diff?

I'm sort of curious myself. That's a lot of work. Seems to me it would just as about easy to drop the whole front axle off the frame and torsion bars, wheel it out, and take the short shafts loose at the pumpkin.

i need to pull the diff out because it locked up on me doing 62 mph kinda of scary. thanks for the input 800.

This is the way I have dismantled the 4x4s......it's a piece o cake.Every 4x4 front end Ive pulled.i never had to remove shafts 1st.I drops it all in one piece, much easier.

That is sort of what I was getting at. The Haynes manual procedure for removing the diff starts with "remove entire axle assembly using steps in previous section". You pretty much have to take the whole thing out in order to get it apart. You can probably remove the shafts with the housing still bolted to the frame (I'm actually not sure) but at that point you are 8 or so bolts away from having it all loose and sitting in the open. You might as well pull the whole works instead of finishing the job lying on your back under the truck.


As for your reason, I guess that would do it. I bet that was a scary ride. I can imagine what a rear diff locking up is like (yanked the e-brake going pretty fast a time or two in my youth) but having the front lock would be a whole different experience. Hopefully it didn't take out much with it inside there. If you can find the parts, taking the whole works from a donor truck would be easier than putting parts together. I'd be a little worried about the stress that lockup did to the shafts and CV joints too.

Back about 1957 or 58, I had a rear differential lock up on my 54 Ford, while rolling down the highway. I figured I was lucky to keep the car upright. Having a front differential lockup would be major puckering time.

youll have to pull the hubs and rotors and steering knucks off so all you have hanging outside the frame rails is the CVs(it was a full weekend of work for me and i definetly would say dont try untill you have a shop manual, and then follow that religiously). Then theres a plate thast holds the CVs in the tube as well as mounts it to the frame. Take and find the 2 bolts (one on each side) that goes up to the frame, undo those and it comes right down. When i redid my bearings at the ends of the axle tube i had the front end appart for ball joints as well, so i had no tension on the torsion bars and was able to bring the lower control arms together whith a come-along so they were hanging straight down. I dont know if this would make it eiser or not.

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

Mine's apart to the point the front axle could come out it 20 minutes right now. I think you actually have to remove the lower control arms in order to get clearance for everything.

I can take pictures if you want.

Also, if you didn't figure it out, the inner CV joints come apart by utting the boot away and removing a snap ring from just inside the cup.

-DK

I have ran into this same prob. w/my 4x4 and I have come to realize that it would be easier to get the cutting torch out and cut all that junk off there and just go back with full size axles out from under a Blazer! Good Luck guy..............Buzz