And use gasoline instead of expensive brake cleaner/solvent. Gasoline dissolves grease phenomenally and is cheap.

 

With proper precautions, of course. Gas isn't what it was even 20 years ago, much less 40.
More additives although no lead. Carcinogenic, absorbed through skin.
I don't like to use it but with neoprene gloves/chemical resistant gloves you're probably ok.
Of course, the stuff is flammable as hell....outside away from the house would be good....

 

Well, that goes for all solvents. I think brake cleaner is worse than gasoline, espcially chlorinated one... anyway. Get a large jar, pour some gasoline in and drop cv joint in. Soak for a while sloshing the gas around every now and them. It will come out sparkling clean.

Gas is very good and very cheap cleaner. Compare $3 for gallon for gas to $15+ for dedicated solvents...

 

Yep...could also use diesel fuel. Essentially kerosene. But regular gas is the cheapest solvent.

 

I have all the brake cleaner I need, and I haven't found anything that works better.

The "puller" I made is basically a gallows that I hang the shaft from.
- Hang the shaft up so the joint being removed is a foot off the ground
- Stick a 30mm open ended wrench around the splined shaft
- Support the other end of the wrench
- Hammer down on the wrench, knocking the cv off by the inner race

Basically, it's just like hitting it with a drift punch, only with a little less leverage and a lot more access. I only need a half inch of clearance between the boot and the inner race and I'm able to hammer straight down, rather than at an angle. I didn't want to pull on the outer race since it didn't seem like the cv was designed for those kinds of loads. As for the circlip, are we talking about the snap ring that fits in the machined groove in the end of the shaft and keeps the joint from sliding off? I have always just reused those; is that a bad idea?

As for the clamps that hold the boots on, I've got some stainless zip ties. Will these work, or should I be buying factory clamps?

Finally, there's a local shop that will regrease my axles for $25 each and the driveshaft for 35. This sounds pretty appealing considering the work involved, the mess that will likely ensue, and the surplus supplies when the job is done. What do you guys think? Is this one of those things I should just sublet out?

 

yes we are talking about the snap ring/circlip. You should ALWAYS replace these. They are meant to deform when driving on the joint (and usually don't do that well when pulling the joint off either) and reusing them can cause then to not maintain proper tension. Granted, it's not like the joints will fly off, but it can cause "clunky" axles.

 

and I wouldn't pay 25$ per joint. Takes about 5 minutes to do and costs about 20 bucks in supplies (for 10). Yes it is dirty, but it's not that complex.

 

I thought only one on each side ........ am i wrong?????

 

there is an inner and an outer (2) on each side.

 

Pretty much but I have found that if you try to pull the joint with steady force, either by using a puller or the driveshaft bolt then it can cause the circlip to catch against the splines inside the joint, rather than be deflected inwards to allow the joint to slide off easily. A shock from a dead blow hammer or hammer and drift will always work, from my experience anyway.