Hehe, my favorite part is the thorough instructions as how to remove a cotter pin.
Aren’t those military surplus Blazer axles a horrible gear ratio like 3:08 or something? I guess that is not an issue if you are regearing while you are at it.
Actually, you shouldn’t beat on the joint itself but tap the knuckle it is seated into. Beating on the joint itself is just a good way to ruin it regardless if the nut is on the threads or not.
I’m going through the same motions as you this week but rebuilding a 1978 D44 and 10.5 14 bolt FF for my Suburban. Right now D44 is in bits while I am cleaning and painting everything while I wait for the new ball joints to arrive. It is a lot of work getting these axles whipped back into shape.
BTW, “death wobble” has nothing to do with the fact an axle has kingpins or ball joints. “Death wobble” is more prevalent on axles with heavy wheel-end weight. By wheel-end weight, I mean the weight of components outside of the knuckle pivots. If you think about how heavy king pin type D60 wheel ends are (big knuckles, large spindles, big hubs, heavy rotors, etc) is why it is more prevent on them vs. a smaller and lighter D44 or Corp 10 bolt. “Death wobble” is born from a stack up of tolerances. Basically, a joint here on the outer spec limit, a joint there on the outer spec limit of acceptable play, then a wheel bearing a bit loose, a spring bushing (or 4) that are worn, too much tire, etc, etc, etc exaggerated by heavy wheel-ends. …. start stacking things like that up is where the issue comes from once the front end gets excited into the wobbly resonance. Invest in a good steering stabilizer and call it a day.