This is going to be very cool DIY :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

:wow:

Nice work!

Keep the pictures coming.

Excellent thread.

I looove those ratcheting wrenches. They have save me a lot of time and effort. They really came in handy when I had my old E30.

I always end up using my spline drive ratcheting wrenches for those PITA bolts too, and would have suggested a 12 point wrench to you if you hadn't already figured it out. :thumbup:

Just be sure to clean and lubricate the front shaft splines to look as good as the input splines before you put it back together... and notice where the ac condensation drain happens to be when you put it back together. (I always wondered about that one...)

:wow: that's a brave move dville, way too big of a job for me. GL on that project and hope all turms out well for your baby:thumbup:.

:popcorn: where is the A C drain ? is it #5 pic 1 ? above selector link .
or # 6 pics 1 & 3
or #9 pic 3 .

# 6 pic one shows the one I'm talking about.. it is held out right above the spline shaft joint for the front shaft. Drips cold water on it as the ac is on, but worse yet, when you are stopped and the ac drains are still dripping the condensation out.

What happens to the hot front windshield when the defroster blows cold air on it, condensation collects on the other side of it. That would make me thing cold water dripping on the outside of the warm/hot splined shaft would make the inside prone to condensation if there isn't a good seal and lots of grease. I've seen them come it with a red rust dust all around the splined shaft from just this, which is why I plan on moving that drain over an inch or 2 on mine and removing the front shaft for a good greasing of the splines as a preventative measure.

:beerchug::bow: i was struggling to find drains until now
another mystery solved :thumbup:

WOW, I just opened the post from work an realized how SLOW the pics load.
They are being served from Apache webserver on my OLD home computer with DSL .... I will move them to photobucket later to save you guys some headache.