CV Joint boot changing

Hi Dears,
I looked at my passenger side cv joint of windstar 2000 it was havin a small whole and greez comming out. I wanted to change the CV bood only. but my meahnic could not remove the cv join from the shaft, so I told him not to change as I guessed he is not having the knowledge how to change it. He did not used puller. Is the boot stretchable and requires special tools?

The joint drives off with brass drift and a hammer, there are one or two retainers that are on the shaft that hold the joint in place. You may also look at the cost of a new alxe assy...they are usually no to pricy aftermarket.

Question is - what replacement axle assembly is any good? I'm on my 3rd attempt now (tried one new, one rebuilt that were junk) and it works mostly but still makes some grinding noises briefly after going over speedbumps. If a new ford brand weren't $320, I'd just go that route but that's a bit steep.