according to alldata, it shows I need like 5 special tools, I have a buddy of mine who works at the ford dealer and I figure he can do it but he mentioned I need some special tools, one being to lock the hub... can he get away without the special tools? The thump over bumps just SUCKS and is so annoying and I just want to fix this ASAP.

 

anyone?

 

Caveat: I have a 1998 VDP, so its possible yours is a bit different.

I changed the left rear wheel bearings a few weeks ago. Not difficult, or maybe more specifically, not any more difficult than any other wheel bearing change. The only kinda odd things I ran into was the rear axle nut is not reusable, it will strip out as you take it off, so plan to replace it.
The other issue for me was my normal torque wrench will go to 150 ft lbs, the axle nut is more than that, so I had to locate a higher capacity wrench to get it finished. No other special tools in this garage.

 

all 98-03 are the same as far as suspension setup, so no special tool for locking the hub? Where do you get the nut from?

 

I got the nut from Terrys Jaguar Parts , part number JZN100035. It was 19.75 shipped to me from Michigan (to South Dakota).

There are probably 2 (at least) ways to get the nut off; an air impact with enough torque will probably spin it right off, though I used a breaker bar and removed it the old fashioned way. I lowered the other (opposite) rear wheel to the floor so the differential wouldn't spin as I took off the nut and it came right off. The nut will be hard to remove the entire way probably because the threads on the nut strip, but its really not too bad.