arb help

[nuclearlemon]

i'm too poor to afford arbs, so i've got no experience...just trying to get the raffle rig together and getting a bit frustrated.

when the diffs for the raffle rig got built, they installed the thrust block and spider block. problem is, i have to get them out to measure for c clips and to install clips.

how do you get the spider block off the short cross shaft?

also, is the long shaft supposed to be kinda a bitch to get out? i'm used to stock where you pull the pin and the shaft falls out.

[KLF]

There is a small pin the holds the larger crosspin into the carrier. It's hiding under a small button-head screw, the screw is between 2 of the ring of bolts that hold the carrier together.

If you remove the screw and look down into the hole, you'll see the end of the pin, the end of it has a small threaded hole in it. It won't fall out, you are supposed to use a special little tool that should have come with the ARB to pull it out. It looks kinda like an allen wrench, but there are no flats on it, and the long end is threaded. Fortunately, it's a common 6-32 thread, so a 1" long screw will also work. Gently screw the tool or screw into this threaded hole and pull the pin out. Then the larger pin will slide out, and you can remove the thrust block thru the window in the carrier.

Once I got that pin out, the larger cross-pin should easily slide out.

Everyone that has an ARB in their vehicle for a SF axle should carry that special tool or at least a 6-32 screw with the truck. I know of at least one person that busted a pinion out at Moab, but had to leave it on the trail because he didn't have a simple screw with him to pull out that pin.

[nuclearlemon]

it's not the main crossshaft that i need to get out. there's a second half crossshaft 90 degrees from the main one that the spider blocks stuck on. there's not really anyway to grab the block to pull it out.

[KLF]

Ah, OK. I seem to remember that, but it was 3 years ago since I've messed with an ARB, so I can't remember the trick. Maybe this ARB Install Guide will help:

http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/ARB-RD08.pdf

[miker]

Originally Posted by nuclearlemon

it's not the main crossshaft that i need to get out. there's a second half crossshaft 90 degrees from the main one that the spider blocks stuck on. there's not really anyway to grab the block to pull it out.

I use a pair of outer snap ring pliers. Similar to what you might use to remove the snap ring at the end of a front cruiser axle. With these type of pliers, you can insert them into the cross pin hole in the block, squeeze the pliers to grab the inner part of the hole and then work the block loose and maneuver it out. Note that when you put the block back in, make sure the rounded edge is toward the ring gear.

[miker]

Here's the kind I'm talking about:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog