Doug,
Go with the unsealed, because you're going to have to take them
apart anyway, and the unsealed will last longer (if you grease them
regularly). The drive shaft definitely has to come out of the car.
I've replaced U-joints twice, and although it is pretty straight
forward, follow the instructions in the manual, sort of thing, I picked
up two tips from this list which were not in the manual. (1) If there
are grease nipples on the joints, these are angled towards the
shaft, not towards the yokes (seems pretty apparent now, but not
at 2AM in a cold garage) . (2) There's a small dimple (also pretty
apparent, once you know to look for it) on each end of the shaft
which provides clearance around the nipple, so there is a right way
and a wrong way to install the u-joints. Also, it isn't quite as easy
as it sounds because the manual doesn't take into account years
of neglect, dirt, and rust, but it is do-able by anyone with a bench
vise and an assortment of wrench sockets to use as a press. You
will also need something to remove the locking rings. The older
style required a special tool to grip little holes in the rings. The
latest ones have little hooks which can be gripped with needle-nose
pliers. One thing to watch out for, if you can't quite fully seat one of
the bearing cups when you are assembling the new u-joint, it
probably means one of the tiny needle bearings flopped out of
position and is jammed in the bottom of the cup. This is one
instance where a bigger hammer (metaphorically speaking) is not
the answer! Don't keep pressing. You just have to take it apart
again and realign the needle bearings. If you get the non-sealed
bearings, don't forget to squirt some grease into the fittings before
you replace the drive shaft under the car. It's much easier to do on
the bench than on your back under the car.
Jerry
1967 MGB GT
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