im trying to remove and swap my front axle. ive removed the 2 front bolts and the rear allen key bolt. i cant get the stud that the allen bolt was on over the crossmember to drop the differential. does anyone have any tips? i need to get this done by the end of the day. has anyone here pulled their front before?

 

It sounds like you are well on your way to dropping your front differential. If so, your title is incorrect.

What is your intent? Are you wanting to pull the axles or drop and swap the front differential?

 

well i swapped my rear axle with 4.10s for a locker equipped one with 4.30s. instead of having the front regeared, i decided to swap the front differential for my other one with 4.30s. it seems really easy on my automatic because there is a ton of room above the pinion flange for it to move up and clear the stud from the crossmember it is bolted into. on my manual to seems like there isnt enough space to just lift it up and over the crossmember. i think i might just pull the front on the automatic and have a shop swap it with the one on my manual for me. i tried to get the one on my manual out for hours once it was unbolted but i just couldnt lift it over the crossmember. does anyone have any tips on doing this on a manual 4runner?