Axle rebuild

[srgould41]

I am building my restoration checklist and gathering all the info I need in one place. Next on the list is my axles. I picked up a set of '76 axles and I want to rebuild them with new bearings, seals, etc. Axles as well as diffs. I'll mod them later on as funds allow (crome molly, longfields, lockers, etc...)

Where is the cheapest place to get quality parts (SOR, CCOT, etc)? I also want to get a good breakdown on part numbers so I know what to buy.

Thanks for the tips!

Steve

 

[mooker82]

Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters is a great guy to del with and has good prices. Most places sell kits which have all the seals and bearings for the axle rebuild.

 

[e rock]

Kurt would probably be my first choice for full kits.

Occasionally, places like MarlinCrawler and TrailGear have gasket/seal/trunion kits fairly cheap, but I'm not sure if they stock the appropriate shims for the smaller knuckle pattern or not.

Unless you're buying parts from a dealership, part numbers won't really help you. You need one cork diff cover gasket (or use sealant), two rear axle bearings, two rear axle seals, a full knuckle rebuild kit (including trunion bearings), and front wheel bearings. This assumes you're not going to do any work on the differentials themselves. If you're going to take them off, you'll need two paper diff gaskets (or use sealant). If they leak at the pinion, you'll need that seal as well.

 

[srgould41]

I'll check them out, thanks.

 

[car-car]

x3 on Cruiser Outfitters for the knuckle rebuild kit. Good guy to deal with. Get the Marlin HD inner axle seals too. e rock has a good list of diff seals you may need, which I believe Cruiser Outfitters stocks too. Then you will just need moly and wheel bearing grease and some fresh gear oil for the diffs. And lots of towels (think Costco) to clean out the old grease in the knuckles. And a brass drift to drive the bearing races. Also, it's not a bad idea to use anti-seize on the bolts when you are reassembling for easier access the next time you may need to get in there. If you don't have a FSM, search the board here, there are some good writeups by Coolerman and 1973Guppie that are a great help.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

One thought.... the 76 front end is going to have the small knuckles and with you mentioning longfields, lockers, etc. You might want to hunt down some large pattern knuckles. I am not sure if the bearings and seals are the same (probably are but ?) I would hate to see you have to purchase rebuild kits twice.

 

[BDSeff1fitty]

think theres a rebuilt kit in the classifieds.

 

[3jvj]

Check out 3guppies disc conversion thread. It's got great pics of the knuckle build and covere lots of stuff.

 

[srgould41]

I have a '71 40. I bought these axles as an upgrade to mine. I figured I would rebuild them and then just swap them out. Newer 40 axles are rare around the PNW. These were the newest I have seen for sale around here. I am going to have to make due with them.

I don't wheel hard, but I am installing a SBC and I do need lockers around here. I just want to be reliable off road. I don't like breakdowns when you are two hours on the trail from a highway. Our last trip we ended up taking about 4 hours to tow and winch a guy down with a broken ring gear. Then he had a 150 mile tow to get it home. The money spent on the tow would be better spent on upgrades don't ya think?

So which year did the large pattern knuckles come out?

Steve

One thought.... the 76 front end is going to have the small knuckles and with you mentioning longfields, lockers, etc. You might want to hunt down some large pattern knuckles. I am not sure if the bearings and seals are the same (probably are but ?) I would hate to see you have to purchase rebuild kits twice.

 

[srgould41]

Saw it. He wants more than the kit cost new.

think theres a rebuilt kit in the classifieds.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

So which year did the large pattern knuckles come out?

I dont know the exact month but 79 and newer fj40's had the larger knuckles, minitruck yota's and fj60's also had the larger knuckles. The good thing about the FJ60 axles if you stumbled on them is they have larger birfields and higher spline counts also and with a few mods you can get them in your housing. I am pretty darn sure they are no longfields but are a step closer.....

Please dont take my post wrong I know FJ axles arent falling out of trees!! I am glad you found some disc brakes!! I just wanted to prevent you from going hog wild on small knuckles if you are planning to wheel hard.

As a side note on both the FJ60 and minitruck axles you steal the knuckles and put them on your housing.

and please guys if I am a bit off on any of my above info please correct me I am running off of a crudy memory!!

 

[subzali]

It would probably be worth your time, even though you have the '76 axle, to get FJ60/minitruck components from the birfield out to the end of the hub. You don't use the whole axle. These can be found pretty cheap (relatively) at a bone yard. The other advantage is that you get the stronger Aisin hubs rather than the Warn hubs.

I would also highly recommend a seal puller - it's like $8 and if you do what I did on my first axle rebuild your fingers will thank you. 1 1/2" sch. 40 steel pipe (I think that's the right size - a bunch of the tech links are broken so the old Morgan writeup is gone) if you're going to take the birfs apart (you should be able to get this at Ace hardware for cheap) and a tie rod end puller (not the pickle fork type - the screw puller type) and your other basic tools plus what's already been said and it's not a hard job. Just pay attention to the details when you put it back together. You might think about getting new star washers too; they are meant to be replaced and watch out for any other parts that are excessively worn.

 

[Poser]

So which year did the large pattern knuckles come out?

01/79 and later 40/55/60 series had the larger studs, 12mm vs. 11mm, and bolt pattern, 55mm x 30mm vs. 46mm x 30mm knuckles.



Knuckle info from the F A Q

Those are links

 

[Letsgomoreplaces]

We are semi-local to you and stock knuckle kits, wheel bearings, Differential bearings, lockers, lsd units, Birfield joints, flanges, ring & pinions etc, as well as some tools like inch lb torque wrench, bearing pullers, etc.

I am building my restoration checklist and gathering all the info I need in one place. Next on the list is my axles. I picked up a set of '76 axles and I want to rebuild them with new bearings, seals, etc. Axles as well as diffs. I'll mod them later on as funds allow (crome molly, longfields, lockers, etc...)

Where is the cheapest place to get quality parts (SOR, CCOT, etc)? I also want to get a good breakdown on part numbers so I know what to buy.

Thanks for the tips!

Steve

 

[e rock]

We are semi-local to you and stock knuckle kits, wheel bearings, Differential bearings, lockers, lsd units, Birfield joints, flanges, ring & pinions etc, as well as some tools like inch lb torque wrench, bearing pullers, etc.

Are you guys going to be at the swap meet in Enumclaw on 9/27?