I need to put in a new CV shaft on my DS. I looked on autozone.com and they showed you have to take the knuckle off to pull the old shaft out. I wanted to know is there a better way to do it without having to disassemble the front end. I just dont want to have to get the truck aligned again(50 bucks) if I can help it.

 

just unbolt the uper ball joint from the knuckle. the way it bolts on it goes back in the same place. When i did both my cv's i didnt get an alignment.

 

This is easy.
Remove the front wheel.
Remove the axle nut. (do this first if you can remove the wheel cap.)
Remove the brake rotor, remove caliper and zip tie caliper out of the way.
Remove the outer tie-rod end.
Remove the upper balljoint pinch bolt from the knuckle.
Hit the bottom of the upper control arm with a mallet to separate it.
Pull the knuckle out, and the axle end out of the knuckle.
Use a pry bar to pry the inner CV joint from the diff. It will just pop right out.
Replacement is reverse.

 

Here.
Super easy. No need to align it as nothing has changed.
CV Axle Replacement How To (Pictures) - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

 

thanks Brian