Axle Assembly Laughs

["Allan Weidenheimer" <allanw@domain.elided>]

O.K., you can all laugh at my expense on this one:
I was putting my front axle together, finally getting the 
axle shafts back in.  I've been going through it in prep
for converting my pickup to four wheel drive.  Late
last night, I can't figure why the long axle shaft won't 
go in all the way.  Even resorted to rapping it with a 
plastic hammer, no go.  

Finally, I get a flashlight and start looking at the center
section, and wow, here is the problem--there is a chunk
of wood jammed in there.  Apparently, at some point over 
the last month, my 2-1/2 year old son stuffed a scrap
from the bin next to the table saw in the tube.  I didn't look,
just stuffed the axle in.  Imagine the frustration at about 11:30 pm.

I had a tough time getting it out too, it was stuck in the 
seal and the splines so that I could not just lift the carrier out.
I did finally get it, but I had to take everything apart and start
all over.

O.K. you can stop laughing now.

Allan Weidenheimer
72 1210 Pickup