Luckily I have spare drive shafts for my Honda Civic 1999. I got these cheap from a car scrap yard dealer. Both shafts are in excellent condition except for the old cv joints. I keep these shafts so I can do a rapid replacement of a bad cv joint on my car.

Step 1: Taking Out the Boot Bands.

Using a small flatblade screwdriver I lifted the tabs on each band and folded them back to allow removal from the boot. These bands are the re-usable type and I will keep them.

Step 2: Removing the Boot.

The boot simply slides away from the CV joint. The boot can either be cut off or be removed when the CV joint is taken off.

Step 3: Removing the CV Joint.

This part is messy since old grease flies all over. I used my hammer and whacked the inner ring of the cv joint until the joint popped off the shaft. Now the boot and inner boot strap can come off.

Step 4: Cleaning Up and Preserving.

I took a rag and cleaned off the old grease from the shaft end. The snap ring remained on. I will replace this when I install the new CV joint.

Now I have a shaft that is ready for a new CV joint!