[Jtrux]

Originally Posted by jeffspower

Unless you don't plan on keeping it long, I'd spend the money fixing it. The only special tools that are "must haves" are a wheel bearing nut socket, and a upper ball joint spanner socket. Underneath the upper ball joint nut is a threaded preload collar that must be ran down & torqued to specs AFTER the lower joint is tightened. Don't try to back the old one out until you have beat out the ball joint either. Be sure to get new spindle bearing kits- cheap and easy while you are in there. Before sliding the axle shafts back in, make a scraper to go down in the axle tube & drag the debris out- or you will push it into the output seals and end up with seals that leak bad. If there is any sign of oil in the tubes- might as well go further & replace those seals. But that means pulling the diff.

It can easily turn into a long days work, but worth it if she's a keeper

Yeah we had to get those special sockets when Critter did his. I do remember that the order they are torqued is very important, do it in the wrong order and it will be SUPER tight and not move so do it in the right order.