rbowman wrote:

> U-joints are easy. In theory. Like many little automotive projects the
> job can turn to crap.

I have to agree, I haven't done a drive shaft u-joint since the 60s when I
had no tools except a hammer and screwdriver and someone gave me a
Christmas gift of Craftsman open-end wrench sets.

In those days we only needed the inch sizes - none of this metric **** -
but I digress.

Just like I thought the lug bolt reassembly would be hard (it was a piece
of cake to put the new lug bolts in), I was surprised how *easy* the
U-joint was to knock off the driveshaft.

As I recall, I removed and then wedged the driveshaft into a relatively old
tree stump so it fit like a vise into the wood (I didn't have a bench vise,
nor even a bench to bolt it to in those days).

Whack! Whack! Pop! ... wow. That was easy!

Wouldn't you know it.
The u-joint just popped out of the shaft.

I forget all the details as this was more than 50 years ago, but I was
surprised how *easy* it was. I think it went in pretty easily as I don't
recall remembering anything about reassembly and you only remember the
times when you're surprised.

That was my first, and my last drive shaft ujoint but it was so easy, I'm
*glad* I did it. I remember it looked like a stocky sturdy hefty heavy
cross with beautifully machined round caps on each of the four ends.

Anyway, I think I've learned a lot in this thread, which was two of the
three things we discussed.

1. Why most of us don't do the five or six jobs
2. Why cars last forever nowadays
3. Let's just forget the warp, fwd, drilled rotor stuff.

Here's my pensive summary why most of us don't do the six main jobs:
1. major engine work (we don't have the time to do it on a daily drive)
2. automatic transmission (we don't have the skill set to do it right)
3. manual transmission (we need a couple of tools that we don't have)
4. alignment (we need to think too much and it hurts our brains to do that)
5. tires (it's just too freaking easy to pay someone else to do them)
6. paint (we don't have the necessary skills to do the job well)

How does that sound as a summary as to *why* we don't do those 6 jobs.