The Haynes Opel Frontera service and repair manual ranks replacing the CV joints as a fairly difficult task suitable only for competent DIY mechanics.
Since the manual has several pages dedicated on how and when you should jack up your car and change your oil we felt very optimistic when Eirik agreed to help us out.

What does the manual have to say about the task at hand.

“The procedures for fitting a new outer CV joint and driveshaft, or a new individual inner CV joint are the same and are part of the driveshaft CV joint gaiter renewal procedure given in Section 11.”

Well the only problem is section 11 does not at any point mention how to replace just the outer CV joint without removing the inner CV joint (and cutting up the gaiter for the inner CV joint in the process). Nor does it mention that to actually access everything described you would probably have to remove the axle from the car first.

Anyway on Tuesday Atle and Eirik gathered at the makeshift B2 workshop and felt very optimistic about the task at hand. After all, this is a standard job – isn´t it?

The correct procedure that we have learned so far

1. Jack up the car
2. Remove wheel
3. Remove steering knuckle, beating it loose with a large medium sized sledgehammer if it is stuck. Try to avoid doing it our way; Beating on the actual bolt, because you will either have to re-thread the bolt or replace the entire steering joint.
4. Remove the four bolts holding the lower wheel hub pivot plate. Beat any stuck bolts with a large small sledgehammer.
5. Try to extract the outer CV joint from the wheel hub using a screwdriver and  a large hammer
6. Dismantle the auto locking wheel hubs and remove the circlip securing the outer cv joint to the wheel hub
7. Beat the CV joint out of the wheel hub using a screwdriver and a large hammer, lifting the wheel hub and brake assembly a bit to make enough room
8. Try to separate the outer CV joint from the inner CV joint by dragging it
9. Try to separate the outer CV joint from the inner CV joint by hitting it with a hammer
10. Try to separate the outer CV joint from the inner CV joint by using a larger hammer
11. Call it a night and come back after a coupe of days with more manpower (Hans)
12. Try to separate the outer CV joint from the inner CV joint by letting Hans hit it with a hammer
13. Try to heat the joint and THEN letting Hans hit it with a hammer (at this point Hans will get so enthusiastic that he breaks the hammer)
14. Let Atle have a go at the ball cage of the joint with an angle grinder
15. Let Atle have a go at the outer casing of the joint with an angle grinder
16. Let Atle mutilate the entire outer CV joint with an angle grinder leaving only the ball cage stuck on the inner CV joint shaft.
17. Try to pull the ball cage off using Håkons industrial sized two-arm extractor and a huge wrench
18. Try #17 while beating wildly around with a large hammer
19. Call it a night and agree to try again tomorrow

Biltema shopping list for the next attempt:

• Three legged extractor, part 19-1129
• Kit with locking dooh-dahs, part 19-1040
• Chisel, part 19-2204

Pictures from Tuesday:

Pictures from Wednesday