Triumph Repair: How to replace U joints, rear brake drums, english cars

Question
Hi there,  

I have recently been given (Yes! Lucky me!) a (Jan) 1973 TR6 that's squeaking and creaking in the rear and have been told that it would be a good idea to replace the U joints.  How the heck do I even get access to the ones behind the wheel?  It's tucked so far in and back...just how much dissassembling will I have to do to replace the U joints?  Is this something that can be done yourself (my husband is fairly knowledgeable and handy) or should I farm the job out?  Thanks in advance,

Tracy B.  New 73 TR6 owner
Stratford, ON  CANADA

Answer
Tracy,

The neat thing about the most of the English cars is that they are fairly easy to work on, if you can get past the different terms the English use.  Then again, if you (or your husband) lack the proper tools or experience then it's a good idea to either have a professional do the job, or find the local Triumph club and see if anyone in the club would be willing to lend a hand.

To replace the rear axle u-joints you'll need to remove the side axles.  In order to accomplish this you need to:

-Jack up the car securely
-Remove the rear wheels
-remove the rear brake drums
-remove the rear brake shoes
-remove the nuts holding the axle to the trailing arm  
housing through the large holes in the rear hub
-unbolt the inner end from the diff side axles

Then comes the fun of replacing the u-joints themselves.  If all the parts are clean and rust free then it's not a bad job.  If the yokes and caps are rusty then it's a good idea to at least wire brush off the dirt/corrosion and soak them in penetrating oil for several days before attempting the job.



Cheers,

Jim