anyone know where to get new hex bolts.....local dealer in LA said 4.50 a piece...can i get them cheaper anywhere else. I just want to have them on hand in case the old ones get damaged when i pull the shaft out

 

Plan on the old ones being damaged. Don't even start the job unless you have new bolts, or usable old bolts. The ones on the diff end are worse than the tranny side.

I've had mine off 3 times, with lots of miles in-between, so here's my advice.

I agree with the "shock torque" technique. Simple pressure seems to be more likely to cause the wrench to twist out of the bolt head or worse - round off the wrench or bolt.

Try to avoid straight hex wrenches with long shafts or long extension bars on hex sockets. These will make the hex wrench "line up" pretty good with the bolt but you will lose LOTS of shock torque when the extension or long wrench twists.

Try using a right-angle hex wrench where the short leg is REALLY short, put a pipe over the long end to apply some "pre-load", then hit the hex wrench close to the bolt with a hammer (not rubber). Hit it hard. Really hard, like you';e trying to break the hex wrench. (I can't imagine a rubber hammer doing diddly with these things.)

On my first removal I had to torch off 2 of the rear bolts after breaking 2 hex wrenches and a small crescent wrench and thoroughly boogering up the bolt heads. The rest of the rear bolts I got off by another cheating method - I took a 1/4" hex wrench and ground grooves in the flats, parallel with the points of the hex. This makes a bit similar to a torx bit, but since it's larger than a 6mm I was able to drive it into the bolt head with a hammer, making it less likely to twist and push itself out of the bolt. I was able to remove the boogered bolts that way.

Now I just use a good 6mm angle hex wrench and whack the crap out of it.



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also another trick is to use a vicegrips on the hex bolt... not to loosen it, but to keep the head from flexing from the torque you're putting on it.