I’ve been changing my own U-Joints for as long as I can remember, and when I was growing up my grandpa changed them all the time in his autoshop. Between him and my dad, that’s how I learned to do them. They used a couple of impact sockets and a big vice, along with a ball peen hammer. When I started doing my own, in my own shop, I didn’t have a vice that was anywhere near as good as theirs, so I started using a balljoint press tool and the aforementioned sockets and it works great. But is this the right way to go?
In this video from the guys at Eastwood, you are going to get a lesson in U-Joint replacement, using real tools. Check it out and see if this is the right way for you!
Video Description:
Every car guy runs into this problem eventually: bad U-Joints. Well we’re here to show you how to swap them out with our Hydraulic Press and some impact sockets.
if you are putting a new ujoint in a high performance car you should install it with the grease fitting installed where it will be under compression when under load ( 7500 rpm dump clutch with slicks) this will avoid pulling (cracking ) the joint apart at the hole
You don’t want a joint with a grease fitting for high performance use. They are hollow for the grease to travel out to the caps. Find a joint without the fitting as they are solid.