Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

My mechanic friend and I were able to get it done with the information from posts #40 dville and #45 weasel.

We used a mini sledgehammer without the punch/drift. My biggest punch, about 9", wasn't adequate and my friend didn't bring his larger one. He said brass ones are better. [ Edit: I read oldskewel's post a few earlier than this one again, after posting this. Definitely need to be careful when using a mini-sledge. I'm glad I had an experienced person using it since you can easily do damage. ]

It took about an hour and a quarter taking our time and figuring out where to get the best leverage. We used two vise grips, right next to each other to strengthen the leverage point on the thin part of the axle. Next time, with the correct punch and the knowledge we gained, it'll probably take about 40 minutes. Definitely easier with two people.

One tip that I don't think anyone has mentioned is you can tighten the control arm while the car is still on jack stands. Jack up the wheel assembly to match its normal position, relative to where the car is sitting in the air (see picture). Knowledge shared from my friend who has 62 years experience as mechanic. He started at 8, helping in his dad's repair shop, and just turned 70!

Also, we put the car in neutral so that we could spin the rotor. This may have helped us find the best place to loosen the axle from the joint. Sturdy wheel chocks at the back and the parking brake on.

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