Quick tip needed.

Re-assembling a U joint, out spider bearing in, pressed caps, put clips in. Good to go.
Did the other set, pressed caps, one went on, other has a 1/16" gap all the way around, won't go tighter. I assume one of the little bearing pins slipped out of place and is sitting under the cap.

Any tips for disassembly?
It has been a couple years since I have done one. I remember the last time I did it, whatever method I came up with was the hard way.

I seem to remember a discussion on here shortly after and I thought: "if I only knew this then, I will file this tip away for the next time".

Well. Next time is here and my file is empty.

Any tips/tricks?

Think vise/press and different sizes of sockets.....one is smaller than the bearing and the other is larger than the bearing(it would slip over the bearing).......thick layer of grease in the cups to hold the needles in place as you re-install

Press it back out or take a socket same size of cap tap it out with a hammer

Leave the grease zerk out,pack the cups full of grease. Over drive the first cup with the cross in it. Pull the cross out a little ways so it's still in the cup,but far enough for the other cup to start on it. Press it in with a vise or hydraulic press and let the excess grease ooze out the zerk hole and far enough to get the snap ring in. The other cup should be in the right position then too.

I use a vice and a hammer to disassemble. Lay the yoke across the open vice, beat downward on the solid part of the yoke, (not the hollow shaft!) to push the cup out. Just have to be careful to catch the needles if planning to reuse it, no guarantee some won't get broken or lost!

Going back together I like the vice best, easier to feel and control the pressure. If tha vice won't do it, something is wrong.

Like others said, put the cross in without the grease fitting, push it all the way to one side, put the cup on the cross, squeeze it in and go as far past the snap ring as you dare without pushing it all the way through. Put the snap ring on that cup.

Then sit the other cup on the cross, push it in until the snap ring on the others side stops it, put the snap ring on that side, give it a wack in the opposite direction to center it.

Tips:

Do the smallest, lightest part first. No use wrestling the heavy part any more than you have to.

Have an assistant to help hold the long, heavy part. Or, clamp a board, make a stand, do something to support the end of the shaft.

An old magnetic drain plug, or a magnet about the size of the cup works very well to press the cup in the yoke. Otherwise it turns into a 3 handed juggling match trying to hold everything in place!

Here is a quick u-joint disassembly trick. I'm going to get flamed for this, but I've never lost one yet:
If the old u-joint is averaged-sized and is NOT in an aluminum driveshaft or if the driveshaft is not made of some other exotic material, AND you are absolutely sure your replacement u-joint is correct, you simply (drum roll please....) remove the zerk and then blow the old u-joint out quickly and precisely with a cutting torch. With the u-joint now in several pieces, you then easily tape out the old u-joint caps out with a ball peen hammer. Now, once again before I get flamed for this, if you are in any way uncomfortable doing it this way, don't do it.
There is less chance of distorting the yokes with this non-impact method.

About all you can do is remove the U-joint with what ever tools you removed the old one with. If it tears up the new U-joint they are not expensive. Regardless it's going to have to be right when you put it back together. I normally put C-clamps on the new joint to hold everything together and put extra grease in them. That way the little bearings tend to stay put where they belong.

That's the way I do them!