Another ATX birf service: newbie needs advice

[brianinaustin]

Hey guys, here's where I'm at... I heard a little growl from what sounded like the L front wheel bearing a few months ago, so I pretty much parked the cruiser til now. We have a 2-year old and another due any day now, so time has been kinda tight getting ready for the new addition. I figure I better get the truck running now before my time is really gone. I lifted the front and sure enough, the ds front wheel wobbles a bit.

I've received a whole mess of bearings, gaskets, and seals from Dan, and a DVD from elmariachi should arrive tomorrow. I'll have Wed-Fri of next week to work on it, so I'll read as many birf, axle, knuckle, and bearing threads as I can and the service manual in the meantime. I don't have much time, so I thought I was hoping some seasoned birf vet's could help me with some specific advice.

Stuff I have: OEM parts from Dan, DVD, paper towels, gloves, FSM, 5-gal buckets & diesel, a Craftsman torque wrench I use on lug nuts.

Stuff I think I might need: A big socket? A seal puller? Punches? Fish scale? What kind of grease? Diff fluid? I won't turn away any advice or links to helpful threads. Thanks!

[hj60]

This has been covered ad nauseum. I'm sure it's linked in the FAQ sticky.
No matter what anyone else says, you'll want the 4' length of 1.5" schedule40 pipe.
A digital camera helps. Take pictures of every step. It'll prevent getting lost mid-reassembly.

[Buckru]

You won't really have a need for punches. What you need are brass drifts.

Just remeber when installing, the last tourque for the wheel bearings is in inch pounds not foot pounds. This will make more sense once you see the video. BTW, thast my truck in the video.

Buck Buchanan

[hj60]

Brian- per your email...
The FAQ link is here.

[MoJ]

Originally Posted by Buckru

BTW, thast my truck in the video.

Buck Buchanan

Funny you suckered that other guy into doing all the work! Tell Tim hi for me if you see him.


Harbor Freight has a nice aluminum seal driver on sale for $22. It's the annodized/colored aluminum set in the red box, not the cheaper steel/black rubber deal. It's perfect for driving in the inner and outer seals.

[lintynavel]

Seasoned veteran I am NOT. However, I just did this last week. It took me four days, however the first and last were very "light", so three days should be good. Also, I replaced the rotors and brakes and this took a little extra time. I took my time and did not rush. It is actually sort of fun to clean out all of the old gunk, inspect things and learn a little about your truck. A couple of things that really stood out as being real time-savers and frustration avoiders:

1. Borrow a seal and bearing kit from Auto-Zone. $50 bucks but you get it back. This really makes installing the seals and bearing races nice. This was last-minute advice on my post and it really was good advice.
2. Get the 3 bolts described in the FAQ!
3. Get all of the right tools you need. Brass drifts, torque wrench, seal puller and the RIGHT snap ring pliers. I spent a bunch on tools, but it makes the job enjoyable.

Good Luck, you will do fine.

~Linty

[NoMoreFires!]

This may sound like a dumb question, but what exactly is a brass drift?

[agomez]

round brass rod used for banging on parts...I used mine for setting the races in the hubs...the brass will ding up and not the part....

[brianinaustin]

Thanks guys... I'm going to hit AutoZone and Harbor Freight tomorrow morning and hope to be done by noon. Ok, at least dirty by noon.

Any suggestions on grease and diff oil brands?