Kinda urgent

Trying to replace my front wheel bearing. I've disassembled everything from the knuckle except the drive shaft. How does that come out? I read Mr. Chapman's write up, but his numbered steps go right past that part without mentioning anything. Same with the service manual - it says to remove the two bolts attaching the knuckle to the shock absorber, then remove the knuckle, but it doesn't say how.

Is the hub just supposed to slide off the axle, and mine is just stuck? I've pulled on it and tapped the back with a hammer. I'm afraid of pulling the entire driveshaft out of the transaxle or damaging something else on the drive shaft if I get aggressive.The boot has those metal clamps that don't unloosen that I can see. Do I cut those off to push the boot back to, maybe, access some nuts/whatever under there holding the knuckle to the drive shaft? Would I need buy new clamps and use some special tool to put them back on? I've never dealt with clamps like that but it looks like that boot has to come off.

I didn't take the two nuts and one bolt off the lower suspension arm. I just used a ball joint tool and hammer to separate it.

 

OK. Do I keep the knuckle attached to the strut for stability, which means the drive shaft/axle will need to go towards the transaxle? It has room/play to do that without messing up the transaxle/anything? Does the boot then just slide off with the knuckle, or do I need to loosen those clamps however so that it stays with the driveshaft instead of the knuckle? I assume the boot has to come off at some point to install the new bearing. Also assume I only need to drive the axle back a few inches to break it loose from the hub, then the hub comes forward?

Thanks, it's dark here now, but I'll try that in the morning.

I was going to swap this with the knuckle on my parts car, but when I was taking the wheel off the parts car to check it out, one of the lug nuts broke in half, rusted through, leaving the "stump" inside the wheel. Managed to get the wheel off, but it was going to be a pain to get that stump/sleeve unscrewed, and the disk was all rusty, so all the rest was going to be a pain as well. Strange, it's not like it sat in the flood waters for weeks/months, but it sure rusted.

 

Well, I've beat it quite a few times - dang, it hurts my hand if I'm not gripping the board real tight. Of course, the lugs get in the way; the axle threads barely extend past them so either need a very narrow board or hope that it only takes moving the axle shaft a small distance. Apparently not the latter since I've beat it to where it's almost flush with the lugs. Can any type of pully puller get it off?

 

LOL, I was ahead of you. I borrowed a gear puller from the auto parts and it easily came off. I thought the boot was attached to the hub, lol Got the hub at the machine shop putting the new bearing in. Should be back together tonight or in the morning, depending on whether the Astros are winning or losing.