FullMonte Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Thanks to a lot of help from all of you on the board, I finally crossed my fingers and cranked up the Monte today after a 4-month learning experience of pulling it apart and putting it back together again. You couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. Yeah, I know; it was only a new manifold, carb and distributor, but it was my first, real "wrench-turning" experience. The best thing was watching my step son almost set his hair on fire squirting in some starter fluid. Makes up for all the times he laughed when I knocked the skin off of my knuckles. Everything seems to be working fine. One small leak around the water neck, but that should be easy to fix. I do have one other problem. Because it was necessary to tow the Monte a few months ago, I dropped the drive shaft and set it aside. When trying to install it today (so I could take it for a test drive), one of the caps on the U-joint came off and before I knew it those little bearings were spread all over. Then the other cap came off and I was sunk. Rather than try to re-lube and rebuild, I went to NAPA and plopped down the 12 bucks for a new U-joint. But I can't seem to get the old U-joint out of the yoke. The retainer rings were really rusty, but they eventually came out. But the U-joint will not budge. I must be doing something wrong. Do I pound it from one side of the yoke and/or the other? Has anyone else had this problem? I am so anxious to race around the block, I am ready to take it to a mechanic on Monday, but if it is something I can do, well....who needs to sleep. Thanks again to everyone who offered their help and obvious expertise. I am now your number one fan. Is this a great country, or what! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Congratulations! The most I've done is change a timing chain so you are ahead of me. I know I had a big grin too when I did that. ------------------ Aaron 1970 Misty Turquoise Monte Carlo My Monte Carlo Web Site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 put the driveshaft in a vice close to the u joint and find a socket that fits over the cap and then beat it down you may have to pry up on the driveshaft some to get the cap all the way out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben N Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Congrats George! It's always an awesome event when she finally starts to "breathe on her own"!!! Enjoy, Ben N ------------------ My Monte Page: http://thenunz69.tripod.com/ Remember: Your car isn't LOUD enough, until it rattles the china in your neighbors' china cabinets!!! Best Regards, Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 If there are small round plastic nubs sticking out of the side of the yoke, (two of them 180º from each other 90º of the drive shaft) those are the factory u-joints. Rather then ruining a bunch of tools smashing them with the hammer and vice, take it to someone who has a torch and heat them up until those little plastic nubs come out like the forth of July snakes. Then they should come out relatively easy. Good luck and congratulations… P.S. That way you won't keep your wife up all night with the banging...lol ------------------ <IMG SRC=\"http:... LLOYD@firstgenmc.com [This message has been edited by ADGTRUNKLID (edited 11-09-2003).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Smith Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Congrats!!! Glad to hear you got it running. I still remeber the first motor my brother and I did. We got a wire between the head gasket and head. It didn't turn out as good as yours did, lol. I'll try to explain another way to remove a u-joint, that will remove one cap, instead of both at the same time. You might need help to support the drive shaft on the other end. Set the yoke up so the support is under both sides of the yoke, and the drive shaft is free. You can use a vice, but you don't tighten the vice on the drive shaft or yoke, just for support. Beat the drive shaft down with a BFH(big hammer), and the top u-joint should come out. Flip the whole thing over and put the support on opposite side of yoke and hit drive shaft again. NOTE: Do not hit the drive shaft on tube as it might dent it. Hit it close to the end by the weld. After the yoke is removed, you can put the support under both sides of the u-joint and repeat the above steps. After you remove the joint, clean all 4 holes with emery cloth removing all the rust and also clean the ring grooves if it uses inner clips. If outside clips, make sure surface on yoke and shaft are flap using a file. This will help putting the joint back in. If that doesn't work, bring it over and I'll try to show you what I just tried to explain. After all, I'm only in Michigan. Good luck, Daryl I do know your satisfaction with your engine work. It's cool when it fires up, isn't it!!! ------------------ Smith Racing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullMonte Posted November 9, 2003 Author Share Posted November 9, 2003 Daryl, Thanks for the help on this. I have a couple of questions. Are saying that I should remove the yoke (with the U-joint in it) from the whole drive shaft? I didn't know that was possible. Still a little unclear about what I should be hitting with my hammer: the U-joint or the drive shaft. Maybe I am not understanding the terms. The yoke has two holes, one near the top on either arm. The U-joint has four arms (north, south, east, west) and pivots on the east/west arms stuck in those two holes. By the way, the caps I lost came off of the other two arms (north and south) that run the same direction as the drive shaft. Since the yoke is cast, it seems the only way the old U-joint will come out is to slide it all the way to one side of the yoke(east or west), to expose then remove the cap, then move it the opposite direction to remove the other cap. With those caps removed, I should be able to get it out, shouldn't I? I don't understand how resting the yoke arms on top of a vice will help move the U-joint side to side. Just to be clear, this is the U-joint at the rear end of the drive shaft. I'm really not is simple-minded as the above words might indicate. Thanks again! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 What he was saying is open the vise wide enough to stradle the 2 ends of the U Joint. Take the caps off the ends of the joint that was bolted to the rear. Then hold the driveshaft up with them in the vise. Then take a hammer and hit the end of the shaft on the yoke and it will drive the cap up. Then turn it 180 and drive the other cap out. I then use the vice to press the caps back in one at a time. ------------------ http://web.tampabay.rr.com/iann/monte.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monteman1971 Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 I like to rest the drive shaft on a 2x4 with the end of the drive shaft hanging over the end of the 2x4 enough to clear the U joint. Then with a BFH hit the exposed ends of the old u-joint (the ones the caps fell off of), alternating from side to side to drive out the caps evenly. Once you have one cap driven as far as possible turn the shaft over and do the same to the other side. When the caps are driven as far as you can get them the joint itself should have enough room to remove it. Then drive the caps the rest of the way out with a punch. To put the new joint in,take off the caps and hold the joint back in the drive shaft. Put one cap onto the drive shaft and then hold the joint up into it so the bearings don't come out and hit the cap down (you can use a socket to get it to seat down to the grove), once it's in the shaft turn the shaft over and do the other side the same way. The u-joint should have enough into the cap already installed that the bearing will stay in place. Good luck , Steve ------------------ www.geocities.com/monteman1971 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71monteme Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 if your not going to use the old one and you have a saw-all or hack saw, just cut the old one out. just a thought. [This message has been edited by 71monteme (edited 11-09-2003).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 george, chances are it may be original,you will have to heat it up ,even with a 12.00 propane torch.heat up those little have plastic **** right next to the retaining rings .after about 4-5 minutes that white plastic will shoot out like a big zit. if your near a harbour frieght store they sell a ball joint/u joint press for about 30.00. gene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superstk Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 George, Save yourself the hassle, take it or call the NAPA guys and see if they can install the new one in. If not try your local mechanic and have him do it. Make sure you tape the ends together until you're just about to install it. I've installed new ones myself in the garage and it's a PITA. You can do it. Here's an easy way. Need a bench vise. Get one socket that is smaller in diameter thatn the cap. Insert it in 1 end. Get another socket that is bigger and rest it on the other end face of driveshaft yoke area so that the cap will slide into the socket when you squeeze the entire assembly in the vise. Open the vise and remove the bigger socket with the cap inside.now put the small socket into the end where cap came out and put the big socket on the other em\nd and repeat the procedure. Remove the u-joint from in between the yokes and Reverse this procedure to install the new one. This procedure works but you can bend the yokes together, while squeezing them in the vise. Have had that happen. That's why I just go to the local NAPA guys and have them do it for me. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmechanic Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Give this a try it has pics you will need Acrobat reader installed http://www.champion-auto.com/PDF/20_UJoint.pdf ------------------ My Monte's If it sounds like Thunder!!! Me and My Monte have just rolled in!!! 1970 MC SS or one heck of a clone Needs restored 1970 MC 350/350 1998 F*%& WindStar 2002 Dodge Ram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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