Front CV Axel Swap Done, But, OMFG Tough Axel Nuts!

[Ray]

OMFG! x 1000000… Anyway, I couldn't remove the passenger side Axel Nut! This little guy was tough as nails and wouldnt friggin' budge. It was the hardest part of the job.

...some pics of what I broke...

So, I just finished installing rebuilt front CV Axels. Overall, the job wasn’t that hard. It was frustrating yet fun all at the same time. When I got them loose I felt like a new man. If you’re having a hard time getting them off, just stick with it, they’ll break loose eventually. Use something HUGE and don’t bother with ratchets.

In case anyone is wondering, I know what a breaker bar is, and I’m a retard for not using one after the broken ratchet(s). A dedicated break driver might have done the trick.

The Events...

I sprayed the nuts with penetrating oil and let it sit for the Night. In the morning I did the same thing and went to school.

I removed the Axel Lock.

First, I used my 1/2'' drive ratchet and a 2' cheater bar and I was basically lifting the front end of the car. WTF? So, I turned the ratchet over and was stomping on it. NOTHING...

I double and triple checked that it wasn’t a reverse thread or that the axel lock wasn’t in the way. Its not reverse thread, so I was good to go. I went back to the 1/2'' drive with no use.

Said 'F' it, lubed it up once more and went to bed. I woke up the next morning to borrow my shops electric impact driver. That Dewalt didn’t do anything.... I spent a while shaking up the nuts with no budging at all. I went back to the ratchet, nothing. More lube, I slept the night.

Went back to my shop and grabbed a 2' pipe wrench, two more 1/2'' drive ratchets, an extention, and a 5' ridgid pipe.

I broke:

1 x 1/2'' drive socket (the walls cracked)
3 x 1/2'' drive ratchets (sparks were flying out of one of them!)
1 x 1/2'' drive extention (in two places)

I twisted the extension to make 'made in the USA' look like a candy cane.

Finally, I just grabbed the new socket with a huge pipe wrench and used that 5' cheater and friggin' leaned on it like crazy. After a bunch of laughing and swearing, it broke free.

Yay!

My Axels were now nut free. The events after this were dirtier and much less interesting. The Haynes, my bro and I did the job with mo major snags accept for the Axel nuts. The driver side Nut was really really easy.

I’ll post some pics in a Fotki album if you guys wana’ check ‘em out.

Phew, what a week.