Axle inspection and repair guide

Are there any tricks to pulling the axles once they're disconnected from the hubs? I've got an '87 GTS (automatic) and tried following your steps, but couldn't remove neither the driver nor the passenger side axles. Should they really just pull out by hand? Is there some special tool I need? Thanks for any help.

 

I may use a rubber mallet or a block of wood on the axle end to get it off the hub. They can get stuck; sometimes they come off easy, other times they need a bit of persuasion.

 

The passenger side is the easier one to remove. After it's free and disconnected from the hub, remove the two 14mm bolts holding the carrier bearing bracket to the block. From there it's just a matter of supporting the whole axle and sliding it out (careful, it's heavy). It may take a few tries to get it lined up perfectly to slide out. Even the slightest angle any direction will cause it to get stuck.

The drivers is a bit more difficult. A breaker bar wedged against the inner stub and a BFM usually help. For me though, I disconnected the inner/outer axles by the 6 hex bolts, removed the outer and left the other one on the transmission. If that won't work for you then disconnect them, get a slide hammer and attach it to the inner stub. That'll get it out quick.

 

What axle parts (or whole axles) are interchangeable between the GE and FE? We have an FE with awful joints and would like to replace it with the good joints we found in a GE. Can we do this?