NEEDLE BEARINGS??? THERE AREN'T NEEDLE BEARINGS IN A CV JOINT!! Depending on the year, there aren't any locking bands on the inner joints...
I just got done doing this job on an ALH... first thing, be prepared to replace the shaft... which isn't much more than the price of the kit to rebuild the shaft.
To remove the shaft, start by busting the axle nut while car is still on the ground. 3/4" breaker bar, with a 4 ft cheater is good....
If your car is tracking well, mark the position of the MacPherson strut and the connecting arm ball joint bolts. I usually spray a contrasting paint onto the parts or you can scribe around the bolts to mark location. I finish with an alignment anyway...
Raise the car, jack stands... (PULEEZ, use STANDS!) remove wheel, remove bolts for struts and connecting arm ball joint. Remove brake calipers and support the caliper with baling wire so you don't damage the brake line. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. Slide steering knuckle off the CV shaft. Remove the heat shield that protects the CV boot (if you don't have a heat shield, that is why you are replacing the boot). Remove the six bolts from the differential carrier that hold the CV joint in place. It's usually a triple square male socket... I think it's an 8mm... remove shaft from vehicle.
Now, I'll warn you.. the grease inside the CV is really nasty stuff. Wear some nitrile gloves.. you'll be glad you did... that stuff doesn't wash off, it wears off.
In a bench vise, remove the circlip from the end of the shaft...a pair of screwdrivers used judiciously will work, or if you are really 'uptown', there are some special external circlip pliers you can get... Don't worry about tearing up the circlip. There is one in the replacement boot package. Use a cold chisel or punch to knock the boot off the CV joint. The CV joint will come off with a bit of persuasion... Note the direction that the CV joint came off and mark accordingly. Remove the cupped washer from behind the CV joint. Remove the boot.
In order to determine if you should reuse your shaft, you should completely disassemble the CV joint. First thing... clean as much of the grease off the CV joint as you can and using a permanent marker, mark the relationship for the center hub to the outer hub.
It's a bit tricky and difficult to explain, but the center drive hub sits inside a bearing race with 6 large ball bearings. In order to remove the race, turn the center drive hub about 90 degrees and remove a ball from either side of the shaft. Rotate the center hub around until all the ball bearings are out. Turn the center hub and race. The unit will come out. Remove the center hub from the race.
If you have severe galling in the center of the inner and outer hub, it's cheaper to discard the entire unit and get a complete new shaft then to try and rebuild what you have with a new CV + boot kit. Make sure of one thing. Do not buy a solid shafted passenger-side drive shaft. Those are the Chinese crap that will give you a harmonic resonance that you will not like. The shaft should have a tube that is about 2" in diameter. The best ones will have a rubber counterbalance attached to the shaft. That countershaft dampens any chance of shaft vibrations.
Also, if the CV joint is in reasonably good condition, but has slight galling in the center of the drive area, I am in the habit of changing both sets of CV boots at the same time and switching left-side and right side inner and outer CV joints. That reverses the wear and extends the life of the joints.
Pack the CV joint with the appropriate grease provided in your boot kit. Use a new circlip to reinstall the CV joint. Reassembly is reverse of disassembly. Be sure to pay attention to torque specs, as most people overtorque the driveshaft carrier bolts and the ball joint bolts, even the axle shaft nut... Get a Bentley Book and read up on section 40.
Finish with a front-wheel alignment.