C3 driveshaft removal

[CHEV66JB]

Hi all,

I recently jacked up Dad's '76 to find out where it was leaking tranny fluid, and found it was coming from the tailshaft seal- Said to myself, "no problem", and proceeded to remove the driveshaft..

After removing all of the U-joint bolts on the tranny yoke end, I found that I still couldn't get the driveshaft out b/c there wasn't enough play to slide it back from the tranny yoke.

I guess my question is, does the tranny have to come out of the car in order for the driveshaft to come out? I noticed also that the driveshaft passes thru the frame at one point.. They really made these a PITA to work on at home, didn't they??

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jim

 

[1979toy]

Slide the transmission yoke foreward all the way, remove the rear U-joint cap bolts and drop the driveshaft down at the front. It can then be slid out the front below the transmission.

 

[73stinger]

I just took mine out of my 73. Remove both the front and rear U-joint straps, the rotate the drive shaft and try to jry the U-joint out of the transmission yoke and it should drop right out.

 

[CHEV66JB]

Re:

Thanks guys-

I'll give it another go soon.

Jim

 

[Bob Chadwick]

As I recall the tranny yoke seperates from the drive shaft. Push the yoke into the trans, drop the driveshaft down and pull it forward. Pull the yoke out of the trans. Make sure you mark where everything separates so you can put it back together the same way it came apart.

 

[CHEV66JB]

Re:

Is there any particular tool required to remove the rear seal? Or will a fat screwdriver worked slowly around the edge do the trick? Thanks to all for your help with this.

Jim

 

[JohnZ]

Use a small screwdriver or a scratch awl to pry out the old seal; when you install the new one, use some sealant (like Permatex #2) on its O.D. where it seats in the recess.

 

[CHEV66JB]

Re:

Many thanks John.


Jim

 

[CHEV66JB]

Re:

Many thanks to you guys for the help on this. I successfully removed the driveshaft today and will be working on removing the tailshaft seal in the AM. Who said Corvettes are tough to work on? *cough*

In other news, I also noticed that the U-Joints on the independent shafts have lube nipples on them that haven't been attended to in over 15 years.. Think it might help to apply a little grease to them?

Regards,

Jim
'59 #5366
1959 Corvette Registry, Webmaster
http://59vette.cjb.net