Editing Rearend removal

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How to safely remove a rearend.

#Chock the front wheels and loosen lug nuts right and left while the tires are still on the ground.
#Spray all suspension and rearend fasteners with penetrating oil, as most will be terribly coated with [[rust]] on a never-modified vehicle.
#Raise and support the vehicle body using jack stands. MAKE SURE THEY ARE JACK STANDS, NOT WOOD BLOCKS OR CONCRETE BLOCKS, as these items are not intended to hold a vehicle up. Make sure the rear wheels are off the ground when the vehicle is at rest on the jack stands.
#Remove wheels.
#Loosen and/or remove brake lines at the calipers or wheel cylinders.
#Remove straps or c-clips from rear U-joint, and remove driveshaft. If the transmission tail housing is tilted down, fluid can leak out when the drive shaft yoke is removed. You can leave the driveshaft yoke in the transmission and secure the driveshaft up and out of the way or over to the side with wire, rope, or whatever is handy.
#Loosen and remove control arms or leaf springs while using a jack under the rearend to raise and lower the rearend, making the job easier and safer.
#When everything is removed and the rearend rests on the jack alone, lower rearend and remove it from under the vehicle. If you have coil springs they will most likely fall out at this point.

Always use the proper equipment for the job.  Wooden blocks are not going to hold your vehicle up securely, that is why jack stands were designed.  Use them, they are not expensive, or you can borrow some from a friend. More than one report of death or serious injury has been filed involving the disintegration of concrete blocks being used to support a vehicle. 

[[Category:Rearend]]