That's what I did too, except I then removed the A-arm completly. It makes the axle replacement that much easier having it out of the way. Also, check out Raxles. They are the best rebuilt axles out there, but more expensive. They don't grind components (use only new in the rebuild) like most all others which can lead to premature failure. I believe price includes shipping the core back to them. Great customer support too.