First off I'd like to say hello to everybody. I recently picked up a 1991 pickup 4wd, long bed. I bought it knowing I would have to either replace a cv boot or a half shaft so today I decided I'd just change the half shaft and after too many hours mesing with it I gave up. I was so stumped I sent my wife to get a Haynes and it was no help because it was telling me to remove a snap ring that was not there. I got it discinnected on the inside by removing the 6 or so nuts and tried to drop the spindle to pull it out and it was a no go. The truck has manual locking hubs and I removed the Free wheel hub cover and tried to remove the Free wheel hub body the book says to use a taperd punch to remove the cone washers but that a joke...If anybody knows what I am talking about and can help me out please do so. T hanks.

 

I will check my book tonight.

 

Thanks any help would be great...

 

no help for ya, just wanted to say welcome

 

I've done this a bunch of times now.
Do one side at a time.
Put a good jackstand under the front crossmember on the side you are working on. (The tire should still be on the other side)
Unbolt the 6 bolts on the inner end of the axle. (Some people actually drive them out - but I haven't had to. Tempting though - the axles JUST come out....)
You have to remove the hub top if you have manual hubs, but not the part that's held on with the cone washers. For no hubs, you have to remove the drive plate incl cone washers. Dunno about auto hubs. (Re cone washers - Search 'cone washers' for lots of discussions on how to get them out easiest, including illustrations I posted)
Yes there is a snap ring in there, it goes around the axle shaft back inside a little - it's greasy so you might not see it at first.
To make it easier to flex up and down I disconnect the sway bar at one end. I also had to remove the lower shock bolts, but I put them back in the other way so they aren't in the way any more.
Put a jack under the lower control arm, and jack it upwards. With sway bar disconnected you can get it farther up and the axle will slip out easier. (Otherwise it hits the arm and wont come out.)
It's a tight fit, a very good grasp of profanity is a requirement for this job. But they actually come out and go back in quite easily, once youve done it a dozen times....

 

Thanks for everybody's input and after doing more searching I figured it out and within a hour or more I had it swapped out and back together and today took it offroad a bit and got it dirty. I am noticeing a rattleing noise that was there before it is audioable only when going over rough surfaces. I swapped out the half shaft so I know it is not coming from something I did. I think next month I am going to throw some new wheel bearing's in the ones on the driver's side looked like they had gotten hot a few times and now that I know how to get it apart....