Rebuilding RE Superflex Joint. Question though

I am finally rebuilding my RE superflex joints in an attempt to cure my front end issues. They seem tight still but I am doing it anyways. Question though; I took off the snap ring, unscrewed the retainer on the other side and still it doesn't wanna come apart. I put a block of wood on the ear of the steel ball and whacked it a few times with a hammer, but the races will not come all the way out. Whack harder? What is the key here? I just don't wanna hose up the steel ball, as I only bought new races. Thanks, JP

Put a bolt through the ball and just beat the ever living crap out of the head of the bolt! They're just poly and you're replacing them anways, so who cares if they get f-ed up. You could also cut them up with a dremel tool if you can't get them out. Just be careful not to nick the ball.

Ary

They can be a real pain to get out. Over time and use, the delrin plastic parts actually get squeezed out of shape and really expand inside the metal housing. A torch on the housing can loosen things up but be careful not to heat it too much and beat the housing out of round. A good dead blow hammer used like mentioned previously with a bolt protecting the surface works most of the time. Even though they can be a pain, they are still the best thing going out there.

Just press it out. :dunno:

If you have a large socket that will fit over the ball section and make contact with the poly, they come out fairly easy with a good hammer that way, the problem with trying to hammer the ball is that it causes the poly to be forced outward making it even tighter

you don't have to replace the poly races. The joint is threaded a long ways down so that you can retighten them several times before you have to replace the races.

Uh oh, I've got rusty balls! Guess I didn't keep up as well as I should have on the greasing!

Yeah this a future weekend project of mine also. I kept them geased but they still worn in. So now they snap at any hard braking or flexing. Went to take them out, and found out the bolt seized inside the ball :doh: . So now I am cutting them out and replacing the whole unit except the outerhousing. Man, I wish anti-seize came in a gease-gun cartridge, I would get geaseable bolts, they only thing I can say is use anti-seize like paint on the bolts and insides of the balls when installing them. Specially if you live anywhere in the snow and ice belt. They use more salt on the roads up here in NY than McD's on fries.