Steve Howard

Has anyone on here removed the front diff from a Defender or Disco without splitting the CV joint? Can I just remove the outer joint complete with inner half shaft to slip the diff out? I just don't want to have to buy loads of gaskets and refill the cv with oneshot grease. Is it possible? Or is there a circlip that forces me to split the CV in order to pull the half shafts out far enough for the diff to clear its exit from the housing? Many thanks fellow DIY home mechanics. I have all the gear to reset the diff and shim preload pressure/dial gauge etc, and am trying to cut costs at every corner here. The diff has thrown the drive pinion bearing so needs removing but the rest of the train is OK.