I have pulled my front diff and my new one needed the output tube so i went to switch the old one over and stripped the bolts possibly to the point of never getting them off to compound the problem I took a grinder to one of them. I was wondering I I bought a output tube from someone parting a truck out and had to wait for it to get here, could I run my truck as a 2wd. I already have both cv's pulled and the diff is out so all I would have to do is pull the drive shaft,

 

cover up the hole in the spindle where the axles went?

margarine tops maybe?

AFAIK thats how the prerunners were made... there's an OEM plug for the hole

Since the 4WD uses twin tapered roller bearings (I assume) rather than "unit bearings" you should be fine.
Unit bearing types (such as my VW - ya ruin the bearings rolling the car w/o the axles...

 

What's wrong with your output tube? If you need the tube that the vaccum assy attaches to, I have a spare.......


With the axles pulled, there's nothing holding the bearing from sliding off the spindle, but since they are a press fit, the odds are they won't come apart. The problem is, there's no way to prevent dirt from destroying them. In a bind you can use the plastic cap from a pringles can, but don't expect to put alot of mile without proper support for them bearings.

 

Yes they will. The axleshaft is what keeps the two halves together in a sealed bearing, the bearing race is what is pressed in the spindle. What he could do is basically gut out the outer cv joint and bolt the hub back up that is if he had any junk cv shafts. I highly recommend not driving the truck with the axleshafts off.

James

 

i finally got the tube off the old third now I have to find new bolts to put the assembly back together because I took an angle grinder to the others. I was asking because I was planning on driving back to nc this week. I think i should have it together by then though now that I have it almost ready to go back in.

 

WRONG!

The front bearings are sealed bearing, in other words one unit and can't be separated. The whole bearing assembly is a press fit onto the spindle/hub, in otherwords they are on there real tight and won't slide off the shaft. I've had to drive back with no axle, almost 80 miles, without any issues.