Newbie..... I have to replace the rear seal on my C4. Any tips on pulling the driveshaft and replacing the seal. 66 Fastback, Thanks

 

It has been a while since I have had to remove my drive shaft, but I will tell you what I remember.
Place the car on a level surface and chalk the front tires to keep the car from rolling. Raise the rear end and remove the 2 U bolts from the hogs head (4 nuts). You might need to turn the drive shaft to get an angle on all of the nuts, so it would be good if you could put the car in neutral and have one of the rear tires off the ground. Place a pan under the rear end of the transmission in case any oil leaks. Push the driveshaft forward to disengage it with the rear end. Rap tape around the caps on the universal joint to keep them from falling off, rolling away and all the needle bearings from becoming dislodged and dirty. Pull the driveshaft backwards to remove it from the transmission. Remove the old seal being careful not to scratch its enclosure. Press the new seal in evenly as to not get it stuck. I do not know if any sealer is needed. Install the drive shaft in the reverse order of disassembly. Make sure that the ujoint is squarely in its cradle or the car will vibrate badly when you run it. Check the transmission fluid.

P.S. Make sure you remove the tire chalks before you drive away.

 

Pretty much on target. Its an opportunity to check the ujoints or replace them. Also check out the entire underside of the car while you are down there, look for leaks, wet spots, things falling apart, etc.

No sealant required, be sure to tap the seal in squarely or you will break things. I use a large hammer as a drift, I hold the large hammer against the seal, then tap it with a smaller hammer. Also if you have a 3/4 drive socket set, you can use a large socket in the same manner. It keeps you from warping or dimpling the seal by spreading the force out over a larger area.

I prefer to have the entire car in the air to work on it like that, since I am rather large in the chest area and I cant fit under it very well. If you are a skinny type, you can probably get away with only lifting one end. I cant stress the use of jackstands enough, Bumper jacks fall all the time, and even though I have a very expensive SnapOn shop jack I still use jackstands ANYTIME I am under the vehicle. I cant bench a car off me, I bet you cant either. They are quite heavy.....

 

When I jack the rear up, do you place the jack stands under the axle. Or on the body so the axle hangs down for more clearance to get the driveshaft out? Thanks for the help.

 

I would place is under the body so the axle hangs down like you said.