Yep picture tells all. The piece is broke off in the front diff. Any one have any ideas how to get it out with out pulling the whole diff apart. thought about drilling, taping and screwing a bolt into it and trying pulling it out.

A good magnet?
Use a stick welder and "stick" the welding rod onto the end of the broken off piece?  Then take some pliers or vicegrips and put on the end of the welding rod and pull it and the piece out.

thats a great idea. deff will use the stick weld. As for a magnet  that would be pretty cool if i could find one strong enough

Some of those extendable magnetic pickup tools have pretty damn strong magnets on them.

I would not use a stick welder unless you can ground to the broken piece.
You can weld your bearrings if the current passes through them.

You are not going to get it out without removing the front housing.

Just buck up and do it right, the welder idea has me thinking about all
the embers and splatter that will ruin your gears from grit.

The only other thing I can think of would be to pull the drivers side, get a
long thin rod and poke it through to the broken piece and hit it with a hammer
to knock it out, otherwise pull the front

Wild

You are not going to get it out without removing the front housing.

Just buck up and do it right, the welder idea has me thinking about all
the embers and splatter that will ruin your gears from grit.

The only other thing I can think of would be to pull the drivers side, get a
long thin rod and poke it through to the broken piece and hit it with a hammer
to knock it out, otherwise pull the front

Wild

My thoughts exactly.

x2 on hittin it from the other side.

put the rig on its side and shake vigorously!

sorry someone had to be a smart a$$.

Yeah i dident think about that stuff at first. Ill either hit it from the otherside or just pull it all apart. Guess we will see this weekend. Thanks everyone.

The only other thing I can think of would be to pull the drivers side, get a
long thin rod and poke it through to the broken piece and hit it with a hammer
to knock it out, otherwise pull the front

Wild

Wouldn't the differential cross-shaft prevent the rod from going all the way through?

I don't think there's a way to do it without pulling the diff center out - you probably want to do that anyway, and at least inspect the side gear and get the bits of shaft & spline out whilst you're in there.

On the welding rod deal...you don't actually do any welding.  If any of you have ever used an arc/stick welder before you will know what I mean when I say stick a welding rod to the shaft.  Basically, you just touch the welding rod to the broken off piece and instead of pulling it back, to strike an arc, you hold it on the piece and it melts itself to the piece.  So yeah, there may be a quick arc struck, as the rod gets close to the axleshaft, but no more bits of metal or anything will be thrown off the rod than what is likely already in the diff from the broken axleshaft.

fordem....I think that is why they are saying a thin rod...so it can pass between the crosspin and the carrier housing to get through to the broken end of the other shaft.

 I can agree with Skyhiranger on this. I have had to do it to several Ford 9" axles that broke off in the diff. ( Stupid 28 spline factory junk. Honestly, IF you are going to beat on it, upgrade the frikkin shafts AT THE LEAST.  )

As far as knockin it out from the other side, Ive done it on a bunch of different cars, theres even a special tool for some cars

After allthe stuff its been through this is the only 2nd cv axle ive been through. Ill just be more care pulling on full size trucks