rearend swap difficulty??

[LTDMan83]

If you personally put your life at great risk when you crawl under a car, it is a good idea if you pay someone else to work on it.

That about sums it up.

87mefull-I understand accidents can allways happen,but as long as you take the time to ensure the proper precautions have been taken before ever crawling under the car to work,you or anyone else have little to worry about.I've worked alone dosens of times,under many full-size cars and 5-6000lb SUV's on nothing but jackstands without any problems,they were 6ton jackstands,but still jackstands none the less.

I don't feel safe under any vehicle,but I know as long as all the precautions have been taken,it's as safe as it's gonna be.Some Risk is just part of the game,if you don't wanna accept that,then pay someone else to do it for you.

[Mercracer]

Both cases jack stands were used along with a shop floor jack, my uncle had a great set of jack stands and a heavy duty floor jack from his shop. My uncle was killed because the car slipped out of park, rolled back slightly, and slipped off the jack stands. Parking brake was on but the wheels were not chocked, he was too confident since it was the third time he had to replace the fuel pump in that car.

If you want proof, I can take a picture of the set of jackstands that were used when my dad was working the 77 newyorker 12 years ago. It was more of a freak accident that nobody got hurt in, the car was properly secured, just too goddamm heavy (5100lb coupe). There still being used, just used them last year to rebuild the engine in my Eagle Talon. They are a great set of jack stands, especially if you get frustrated with cars easily.
.

In both cases, jack stands were used improperly. Unless the NewYorker crushed the jack stands, it was not too heavy. Jack stands are made to support weight straight up, not at an angle.
I have supported many things from a Pinto to a loaded reefer trailer with proper jack stands. It isn't the stand's fault if the vehicle falls, it is the man/woman who put them there incorrectly.

[87mefull]

Can we get back to the topic at hand? I think custom87 put it simple enough and this doesn't need to be a debate.

If your wondering, one of the 4 jack stands failed which is why the New Yorker fell. I'm pretty sure I said that before, but apparantly I have to clarify everything I say. If you were to set that one jackstand up, check to see if its locked, then stand on it, it will not stay up. The other 3 from the set are fine though. They were a decent set of heavy duty jackstands but really couldn't take the weight of the car, no floor jack was supporting it, just the stands for two days. My dad felt it was secure, it wasn't the first time he jacked up a car. We also had a 78 CJ7 in the driveway that we were restoring, a 67 Fairlane GTA (289 with a 4 speed), and he's jacked up his duster at least twice a month for bracket racing.

For my uncle, I don't know, I was little and my aunt told me the story. Maybe he fucked up, I don't know, I wasn't there to ask him and what I said is what I know. I was just saying shit happens and you should be careful, ok.

[Mercracer]

...... I was just saying shit happens and you should be careful, ok..... Can we get back to the topic at hand?.....

If you would have just said that to begin with, we would have stayed on topic.....
Back to our previously scheduled programing....

i plan on pulling the rearend from my retired Vickie, and putting it under Baby. Baby has a 3.08 and Vickie, rest her soul, has a 2.71. i have to much wheel spin outta Baby, and would rather have a posi. how difficult besides unbolting the arms, and disconnecting the brakes is it? how much stress is the springs under?

Mercenv pretty much summed it up. Get the car as high as you safely can and properly support it. Unbolt your driveshaft from your pinion flange. Wire or tie your driveshaft to your exhaust. . Pull your wheels and drums. Disconnect your parking brake cables. Disconnect your brake hose and stick a vacuum cap in the hole so you don't loose all of your fluid. Use a floor jack under the diff and take the weight off of the shocks. Once the shocks are off, you can swing the axle down toward the bottom. I pull the 2 bolts from the upper arms and drop the axle down and away. The springs will pretty much fall out on their own. Pull the other 2 bolts and swap your axles. Putting the axle back in is much easier with 2 people. Put the bottom 2 bolts in and then one person can help with the springs and run the jack while the other one puts the top bolts back in.
Be prepared for very rusted and stuborn bolts. If your bushings are shot, this is the time to change them. This is also the time to pull your axles and change your bearings and seals. Inspect your axle shafts because the shaft acts like the inner bearing race. Any pitting or scoring and the shaft is junk. You can use "repair" bearings which offset the bearings, but you are better off with a good set of shafts.