Finally got the front axle in, my wife and I carried it in from the driveway. Not a job for wearing slippers. I started cleaning the pounds of crud and oily sand off and removed what I could. Looks like I need more tools too, didn't have a wrench or socket big enough for the top balljoint nut for starters. The driver's side nut was loose for some reason already.
Pulled out the axle shafts, if I can get new ones easily enough, I think I will.
I was curious about the condition and ratio of the gears. This used to be a plow truck that had a hard life and I expected a mess. But everything looked pretty good, (to me anyway) and there no was no sign of metal bits or filings. The ratio is 3:73, the ones on the truck now are 3:08. I want to get 4:10's and was hoping I would find a mess here to justify getting a new gear set to better suit the tire size I plan on getting. Might do some more calculations before I decide on a final choice.
