Removing factory dust caps on TRE-ZJ

So I picked up the front linkage off of a '93 ZJ and i used a pickle fork to remove the ZJ stuff. I have new dust caps but cannot seems to get the old ones off, The lower portion seems to be molded into the link its self....is there any way to remove these?

thanks!

Most of the TREs I've seen have a slight circumferential groove moulded into the housing, and there's a slight rib on the boot that pops into it. This has gotten stuck - I've had to slit boots to remove them before.

I've not seen a boot actually moulded into the TRE assembly - you'd have a problem doing that, since molten iron would incinerate just about any common elastomer! (And if you tried to overmould the elastomer onto the finished part, you'd basically just have it "stuck on really good.")

I went through this too. the boot has a metal lock ring in it, the kind with the little teeth. Just tap or pry it out.

The replacement dust boots don't have that ring, at least not the ones I used from Napa.

Josh

Okay thanks fellas, I was just cutting the old ones off....but in the process sliced my hand open.

I will give this a shot in the morning.