....so looks like I'm gonna need a new pinion seal on the used rear I recently picked up. Never actually replaced one before but it hardly looks difficult on paper. That being said, the rear is OUT of the car. Any thoughts on how to properly hold the yoke when breakin' off the nut?

 

If it were a Ferrrd rear end, you could ram a Craftsman screw driver through one of the holes in the 'companion flange' to keep it from turning, then run over to SEARS and trade it in for a new one because now it's "right angled". Not that I have any experience with that.

Make yourself a tool to hold the flange. I've got the Ratech POS that bolts on and has 1/2" and 3/4" square drive holes for a breaker bar. Probably easier to get a piece of steel pipe about 3 foot long and some 1/4" scrap, drill to fit the U-bolt pattern, weld on the lever, good to go. You'll want something with some grunt for crushing pinion spacers at some point anyway.

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAT-18002/

Looks like Ratech has modded their tool since I bought mine... Mine was about the softest steel ever, and the holes were undersized for the application. Made it work eventually, but it was truly a piece of trash that was fit for Harbor Freight.

 

OK, I was thinking that I'd have to fab some sort of tool! Thanks! ....just wanted to make sure there wasn't something more obvious that I was missing!

 

I have a "custom" piece of 1"x1/4"x 3ft steel that I use for yoke holding when torqueing the pinion nut. It also works for removing the nut. I have 2 holes in it and a slight curved notch between them for socket clearance. Just bolt it tight to the yoke and go to town..

 

A little heat from a torch to soften the thread locker can help too, but you might not need to heat it up.

 

Awesome. Thanks guys.

 

I use a large monkey wrench, pipe wrench, plumber's wrench in or out of the vehicle. The jaws will chew up the yoke if you dont take precautions. If the handle doesn't hit the floor and stop I will put an additional jackstand under it.

 

I used a large pipe wrench for many years before I made my tool for holding the yoke. Drilling holes in a piece of angle iron also works well. You will need a 1 1/4 inch socket for the nut. A good impact wrench will remove the nut without holding the yoke, but you will need something to hold it when installing the nut again.