The drive shaft yoke on your Ford links the drive shaft to the rear end and uses a U-joint to allow the drive shaft to spin while the rear end is moving up and down with the suspension. If damage to the yoke occurs or if you are rebuilding the rear end, you will need to remove the yoke from the pinion shaft. The yoke nut is torqued onto the pinion shaft and may be hard to remove, but applying heat with a torch will cause the metal to expand the yoke to separate from the shaft.
Locate and remove the four retaining bolts and straps from the pinion yoke on your Ford using a wrench. Set the bolts and straps aside for reuse later.
Pull the drive shaft out of the yoke and set it aside. Locate the large nut on the center of the yoke.
Position a socket and breaker bar on the yoke retaining nut, then grasp the outside of the yoke with a large pipe wrench. Turn the breaker bar counterclockwise to loosen the nut, then remove it from the pinion shaft.
Heat the yoke with an oxyacetylene torch and carefully slide it off the pinion shaft.
