HuLuD's Build Thread-2000 Wrangler Sport

[HuLuD44]

Here is a re post from the other thread for the axle build. Gonna go threw and copy everything into the build thread. So sorry if some of you have seen these posts. No real better way to do it.

First Step in Double Axle Overhaul.

1. Full rebuild of HP dana 30-
- Full sand blast, prime, paint
- New seals, Ball joints, upper control arm bushings
- Re gear 4:10
- Chromoly shafts and U-joints, Prob stay 27 spline to match my Aussie locker
- New HD diff cover
- Reuse current hubs and calipers (Mine are in great shape)
- Reattach to current front end set up, Iron man CA, Currie HD steering/TB
2. Ordering Complete overhauled Ford 8.8 Axle with TJ brackets.
- Axle upgraded with Rok crawler 4-link system and trussed.
- Adv Adapters Shorty SYE with Custom Double cardan shaft
- Iron man Adj Lower CA's
3. Install 1" DS body lift (sitting in my garage)- after that Will be able to clear 36"s

Im not really in any HUGE rush but I plan on having every thing done by late winter. Gonna be a lot of work but its definitely necessary if I plan on sticking with this hobby.
Plan on making this a real deal build thread ill also link to my JF page. So keep an eye out....:gorilla:

[HuLuD44]

UPDATE: Got some more work done yesterday and ran into small snag.

First I started with the set up of the pinion. There are 2 bearings on the pinion one of which had to be pressed on. Used the new arbor press for this.

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2408/dsc07087x.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/701/dsc07088w.jpg

After that I had to take the old pinion and take it apart to see how it was shimmed. I figured this was a good place to start when finding the new pinions backlash. (Depth the pinion sticks out into the ring gear). Here is the old pinion fully assembled.

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4683/1000598g.jpg

Next was to take the mil micrometer to measure the individual pinion shims to be sure they match up with the ones I am using. There were 3 different size shims used in the old one. 1 thick, 2 medium, and 3 thin. Again I just used this as a starting point. There will prob be adjustments made once I have set up the carrier and am setting the final pinion depth.

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1615/1000604r.jpg

Next came the job of pressing the pinion raced into the diff. Again the arbor press came in very handy along with the bearing/race press kit. I was surprised at the force it took to get the races into place. They create a loud POP as they snap into place. I dont have a pic of them going in because it took two of us to move the axle into and hold it in the press. Here is the race driver kit w/ press.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/6046/1000600r.jpg

After the new pinion was properly assembled, I installed it into the Differential and started to set the preload. The preload is how freely the pinion spins in the seat, and is adjusted buy tightening down on the pinion nut on the back side of the yoke. I used a torque wrench to set it to about 250 ft/lbs. There are good vids on youtube about how proper pinion preload looks. Cranking down on the pinion nut was not easy. We ended up moving the axle to the floor, gripping the yoke with a large monkey wrench and using a pipe on the torque wrench and breaker bar to get it down. Again, all of these steps will be repeated over and over again once the carrier is ready to be set in.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1552/1000595u.jpg
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2291/1000596xj.jpg

After that I started to assemble the carrier. I put the ring gear on carrier and it wasnt sitting correctly. So I used on of the tricks from the new issue of JP magazine. I put the ring gear into a 350 degree oven for about 15 min and the carrier into the freezer. The heat relaxed the steel of the ring gear and it fit perfectly on the carrier. Then using a torque wrench tightened the bolts to the proper specs.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8751/dsc07086j.jpg

Now, this is where I hit my snag. I have been collecting the tools for this job. I though I had the correct puller to remove the carrier bearings. But I was wrong. I picked up one of those 5 ton claw pullers and tried to remove one of the bearings off of the old carrier and bent the outer casing which hold the rollers to shit. I have seen another type of puller at napa. It is actually a carrier bearing splitter. It looks like a race cut in half with bolts that pull it together and wedge it under the bearing where the shims sit. But now they dont have it and I cant find it anywhere else. I heard from someone that that type of tool is bad to use too. I wrote a thread on JF and was told to use the seperator make by Yukon

YUKON, CARRIER / PINION BEARING PULLER YT P20 (http://completeoffroad.com/i-153524-yukon-carrier-pinion-bearing-puller-yt-p20.html)

The only problem is it cost $300 bucks and I dont wanna have to buy this thing. I was also told that East coast gear supply rents them. But they are in North Carolina and that might be more of a hassle than its worth. I havent check is a local auto parts store around hear rents one. IF there is anyone here that has access to a tool like this that does NOT damage bearings during removal, Id appreciate it if I could borrow it. Until I find this tool, Im stuck....

[Tat2dfreak]

You might want to make yourself some set up bearing since the shims are behind the bearing because you risk damaging the bearing if you have to keep taking them off to adjust the shims.

[HuLuD44]

That was the plan at first. Until I mangled one of the ones off the old carrier. I know you can buy pre made set up bearings but they can be very pricey. And Ive been told from a bunch on JF that the yukon separator almost never damages the bearings.

[Tat2dfreak]

It does work very well, a guy i used to work with had one and never broke a bearing taking them off.

[BermB1026]

That was the plan at first. Until I mangled one of the ones off the old carrier. I know you can buy pre made set up bearings but they can be very pricey. And Ive been told from a bunch on JF that the yukon separator almost never damages the bearings.

I think the damaged bearing can still be used as a set up, was the bottom mashed up that much?

[HuLuD44]

Wasnt the bottom. it was the outer ring that holds the rollers. Its completely out of shape and will not fit in the seat. This separator should do the job. gonna give it a try when I get home after my GMDSS final.

[HuLuD44]

OK so I picked up the bearing separator from Paramount tool on 109 in Farmingdale. By far the best tool store on LI!

I didnt have much time tonight. Just messed around in the garage for 20 min or so. Managed to get the damaged carrier bearing off the old carrier. There was only 2 shims under it. Again, there were 3 sizes. They used a thick and a thin one. I didnt have time to get the other off. It looks like theres more than 2 shims on that side though.
To get the bearing off i had to use the bearing splitter to get some space between the bearing and carrier. Then used a 5 ton claw puller to get it the rest of the way off. The splitter did damage one of the old shims when removing it. I do have a shit ton of new shims to work with, they came with the master install kit and carrier. So thats good. Here are a few pics of the 2 different pullers in action.

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/9284/1000605w.jpg

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3994/1000606l.jpg

[HuLuD44]

Ran into another snag tonight on the regear!!! Tonight I finished with the carrier bearings and put everything together to check my contact pattern. It came out at the top of the toe side of the RG. By the write up I was following i needed to increase backlash by adding shims to the Non RG side and add or increase pinion shims to center the pattern.

Came into a problem after I added shims to the pinion. I was re installing it into the diff, setting the preload. Felt like it did the first time I set it up. But the Pinion nut would keep spinning but only go so far. So I took it back off and saw that it sheered off the threads on the inside of the pinion nut. It did not damage the pinion thankfully. So I tried it again with the old pinion nut I had and the same thing happened.

Any ideas why this is this happening? Could it be I added to many shims and in cranking down n it when i couldnt go anymore, I stripped the nut?

[Tat2dfreak]

You dont really need to do the full torqe while you setting them up. Once you have your contact pattern and backlash all good then do your preloads and final torqe.

I have never seen anyone strip the nut, how much are you tightening it.

[HuLuD44]

there was a video i saw on pinion setting and this guy kept cranking till there was no play at all in the pinion . didnt even use a torque wrench. So thats what i did. it was def too tight, but why did it strip this time and not last. Was it the extra shims i added? where they preventing it from tightening and not having play?