I can not for the life of me get the bolts off of this thing. Mind you I'm working on it in a driveway, but still, those bolts are actually stripping before breaking loose. I got 2/4 of the bolts loose where it bolts into the transmission and 0/4 of them loose on the rear dif.

Any tips to getting this bastard off?

 

PB Blaster is your friend!!! Heat them up with the torch, and then spray it down liberally with PB Blaster, the heat will draw it down into all the threads and stuff, and should help loosen it up.

 

I'm assuming your talking about the dshaft bolts.... i've never seen them be that hard... could try heating them up and cooling them down, the expansion and contraction might help break them loose. Also some penetrating oil, or an impact.

 

x2. soak that thing!! leave it overnight then come back and try to get it off before you round it off totally!

 

Ahh that reminds me of getting my shaft off what a pain....basically what the others said and some brute force, maybe use a breaker bar????. Mine took me a bit to get off (rusty and mud caked). You can get new bolts/nuts at the Dealership or order some from Trail-Gear/All-Pro/Marlin etc.

 

also try using a 6 point socet so you dont round them out.

 

K, I'm hittin it pretty hard with the penetrating oil. There is no room for a breaker bar. It worked on one side with that, but there is no room to on the drivers side with the catalytic converter in the way and im trying not to kill the new o2 sensor I just put in but I'm gonna try to keep reefing on it. If worse comes to worst then I'll just cut the little buggers off and replace them.

I have to get this driveline fixed soon and there's no shop around here to rebuild it that will take it with the driveline still on the truck so this thing has to come out somehow.

Sucks that I'm going to have to be driving a 78 GMC crewcab truck with a longbed to work each day. Nice truck but damn, 8 miles to the gallon.

 

jack up your rear end, dont forget to block the front tires, put the truck in nuetral then rotate the driveline untill you can acess the targeted bolt easily.

then put it in gear or park, and use your breaker bar.

 

I never had that much trouble, and my truck is as rusty as anyone's.

NOTE: on the diff end, they are bolts and you can turn either side, but on the tcase flange, they are pressed in studs, and you can ONLY turn the nut.

You need to have a narrow prybar handy because after you get the bolts out is where the fun REALLY begins as the ends have a pressfit collar into the flanges.

 

i have never had that hard of a time either--i know they use thread-locker light on them--i think heat and PB is the way to go--and as stated before--6 point sockets

 

My driveway is really slanted and my neighbors are stupid when it comes to calling and reporting cars sitting on the road, also the garage stores a 1937 chev w/ chopped top and a 1938 chev street rod which are insured to be stored only in a locked garage so my steep driveway is my only option.

Also, I wouldn't be able to turn the driveline with it still connected to the dif would I?

Here is a few pics of my truck I just took and the situation I'm looking at as far as where I can work on it. It sucks, I know.






Going to try to heat up the bolts. This truck doesn't like me taking stuff off of it.

 

Even with the driveway angle, you should be able to safely chock the front wheels, and jack up the rear so that your rear tires come up off the ground, put the tranny in neutral, and you will be able to rotate the driveshaft while it is attached to the rear diff. That is why you need the wheels off the ground... When you rotate the driveshaft, your rear wheels will also rotate.

 

Alright, cool. I'll give it a shot. I've had the truck roll back on me before which is why I'm so hesitant to jack up the back.

 

On that driveway? With the front wheels chocked properly? If that's the case, then by all means don't do it that way... the slope in the driveway didn't look that steep in the pictures, but maybe the pictures are deceiving.

Can you park the truck sideways (across the driveway) instead of nose up the way it is? Do that, and set your jackstands up to keep the truck close to level and you should be good to go.