Tools/supplies needed for this procedure:

Jack/jackstands
basic mechanic's hand tools ( sockets, end wrenches, etc.)
5/16ths (or 8mm) 12 point box end wrench ( for cross-shaft retaining pin)
wide chisel/gasket scraper (for popping diff cover/cleaning old gasket)
RTV silicon (or gasket for diff cover, your preference)
new wheel stud(s)
4 1/2" grinder w/grinding wheel (cutoff wheel might take awhile!)
gloves/goggles
telescoping magnet doohicky (aids in removal of c-clips... not a must-have, but they are slick!)


Short back story: had new wheels installed on my TJ at a reputable tire store... about a month later, while chasing a noisy rear brake, I discovered that the moron who installed my wheels cross-threaded 3 lug nuts on my left rear axle! Man, was I hot!!! The splines on the three offending lug nuts quickly stripped, leaving me in a pickle... after cooling down for a few minutes to clear my head of all murderous thoughts, I began to ponder how to fix this situation... first thought was to drive the thing to the tire place, raise hell, and demand they fix it, but the store was about 15 miles away, and driving on the highway at 55-60 with three loose lug nuts didn't seem like the thing to do... so here is what I came up with:

Due to being extremely pissed off when this happened, I forgot to grab camera and take pics... but using a manual to remove axle shaft, you should be able to do this operation with ease, and I will attempt to be as descriptive as I can!

If you don't have a repair manual, get one! FSM would be best, but in a pinch either the Chilton or Haynes manuals will do... THIS ONLY WORKS ON C-CLIP STYLE AXLES!* D-35 and Chryco 8 1/4 axles are the most common on our Jeeps, so this will work for the majority of us out there... follow procedure for rear axle shaft removal, omitting the part about removing the wheels! Once the diff cover, cross shaft, spider gears and c-clips are removed, you can simply grab the tire and CAREFULLY slide the whole axle/wheel/tire out as one... then place the tire on its face and using a 4 1/2" grinder, simply grind the back of the stud(s) off and use a punch to drive it out of the axle flange... be careful not to nick the surface if the drum, or the portion of axle shaft which rides inside the bearing... grind just enough of the stud so as not to dig into the actual flange of the axle, as you will want that surface to be in good shape in order to properly seat your new studs... I ground just enough material off so there was still a very thin layer of metal remaining of the stud, then used a long punch and hammer to drive the stud out of the flange, letting it drop to the ground. Make sure you clean all the grinder dust out of the drum and off of any delicate surfaces, like the bearing surface of axle shaft!

Then it's just a matter of "pulling" new studs back in... I did this by carefully indexing the splines of new stud into axle flange, tapping slightly to get it started... then from the front of the axle, slip a 1/2" flat washer onto the stud and using a lug nut and socket, tighten lug nut against the flat washer... this will eventually "pull" the stud home, making sure the stud is flush against back of axle flange... now would be a good time to inspect axle seals/bearings, and parts in the diff... then it's just a matter of reistalling the axle and reversing the removal process in the differential... remember to give the new RTV some "flash" time, and after torquing the diff cover bolts, allow RTV to set up for awhile before adding diff fluid and additive (for those of you with a LSD!!!).

After finishing this process, I took the old studs to the tire store, told the owner what had happened, and he treated me to a set of new lug nuts and wheel locks, and offered his apoligies! And hopefully sent his employees to tire/wheel mounting school!

*After thinking about this writeup, I wonder if you would be able to grind the backs off of the backing plate/bearing retainer studs on a non c-clip axle, and slide the axle/wheel/tire out in a similar manner... HMMMM... I guess you would have to pull brake lines out of the wheel cylinder, and detatch e-brake cables in order to do it, but seems to me that might work...