lp2k
Had a couple of drinks.. saw a couple of things
EDIT: updating this first post as I progress. Decision was the front first. GOAL: Remove the least amount of parts to get the axle down onto a pair of roller dollys. Also, thread will be useful for someone who either has wrecked their truck and is finding themself wanting to keep their axles and swap them out. The thread comments may seem out of order since I’ve updated it as I went through this process. Follow this main post as the comments throughout were to help hone this procedure in.
Special thanks go out to:
So here are my thoughts, and I’m hoping a subject matter expect who has either done this job can confirm or help me clean up the list below and help someone else out who may be in the same boat as me.
Special thanks go out to:
- @Broski for FaceTiming me and stopping me before I hurt myself and walking me through this.
- @OTRAMM for his videos on suspension.
- @NLXTACY for assistance on this.
So here are my thoughts, and I’m hoping a subject matter expect who has either done this job can confirm or help me clean up the list below and help someone else out who may be in the same boat as me.
- Remove wheels and raise the truck up and support the frame 6 ton jack stands preferably (Done 2/16/2020 - shopping list was pair 3 ton jack stand, 6 ton jack stand, pair of wheel chocked, 3 ton jack and a lot of penetrating oil. Start soaking bolts. Remove both tires. Time 45 mins)
- Support the differential with the pair of 3 ton jacks and have 2 dollies (rated at 1000 pound) on the ends of the axle to receive the axle once lowered. I have some sturdy 1 foot by 6 inch by 6 inch solid wood cut to make a small box I’ll craft and screw together to reach it)
- Remove the (front/rear) sway bar (2/16/2021- the front sway bar bolts had soaked for 30 mins and was able to come out easily with a 12mm and 1/2 socket for the body side. Use (2) 14mm box wrenches for the other end which connected to the axle so you can get in there, as it is really tight. You may have to remove 1-2 bolts (12mm) to slip the axle side bolts out.) NOTE: If you have factory lockers, there are 2 brackets holding the locker harness onto the sway bar by the passenger side. 2x 10mm bolts you can zip off before you drop the front sway bar. 4 bolts to the body and 2 bolts to the front. You can take this off easily. It’s heavy so be careful when you take it off.
- Remove the front drive shaft (or rear) 14 mm bolts, sprayed with penetrating oil for 1-2 days, marked with a paint pen for phasing. You can get 3 of the 14mm bolts out using a 3/8 ratchet, and a quality 6 point socket. Mine was Milwaukee 14mm. Set the transfer case to neutral so you can spin it counter clockwise to remove the last 4th bolt. Go back into the truck and put the transfer case back in HIGH so it doesn’t spin on you and gives resistance to loosen the last bolt.
- Remove the pan hard bar bolt, it is a 22mm bolt (the axle side only should be sufficient, and get a new bolt PN# 90119-16003. The FSM says it cannot be reused) needs to be torqued up to 127 ft pounds on the reinstall. This should be okay to remove as the axle is supported evenly with the 3 ton pair of jacks on each side. For me, it slipped off easily. [Tools used were 22mm short socket and 24 inch Pittsburgh Harbor Freight Breaker Bar and John Deere penetration oil]
- Remove the front steering arms to the knuckle (front). This was easily done with a 19mm socket to get a total of 3 castle nuts off [2 on passenger side and 1 on driver side] and then using the ball joint separator to pop it off. I put an old towel over the joint so it doesn’t fly off all crazy since it does pop off with force. [Breaker Bar, 19mm 6 point short socket & automotive ball joint separator.]
- Brakes lines and ABS lines. Most of the lines are connected between 12mm and 14mm bolts. Soak them in penetration oil and you can loosen with simple 6 point swivel sockets (12mm & 14mm) and a good 3/8 wrench. The passenger side has around 4-6 and the driver side had 2 bolts, with the 14mm bolt almost in the center on top of the axle. Once all of the brake lines are loosened, you can begin to plan for the brake caliper (17mm) and then the ABS sensor (12mm). For me, those are not hard, as I just loosened them when I was doing my knuckle rebuild. At this point, once you disconnect the brake calipers and the abs sensors, you are on the home stretch. Get either some rope or 2 5-gallon tubs and turn them over to support the caliper and not compress brake lines. Add the ABS sensors also as you will need to find a place to tuck them so they are not dangling all crazy. My recommendation is to thread the bolts back into the holes, so you do not loose anything and everything goes back where it came from. Organization is key.
- Loosen and stage the removal of the shocks. So you can go 2 ways here. Replace the shocks while your here ($$) or keep what you have. I’m keeping what I have for now so just remove the 2 19mm nuts at the bottom after a good 7 day pre-soak with PB Blaster and use a quality 19mm wrench to hold the shock (my Rancho shocks have the slot for a wrench) while removing the nut to prevent the shock tube from spinning. Soak the 4x 22mm bolts on the control arm also at this time. If your shock does not have the slot for the 19 mm open wrench, use either channel locks or a good pipe wrench with the strap. (24 inch breaker bar, 19mm 6 point deep socket, 19mm box wrench. 18 inch pipe.)
- This is the step you must focus on, removing the springs. You will have to get creative in this step. It really is an art on raising and lowering the axle with the floor jack on each side like a seesaw. Just know, the stock spring is around 21 inches high, which means the axle needs to be lowered 21 inches in order to release the tension and prevent a very volatile and violent situation. If you skip this step, the axle will essentially “roll forward” on the spring and add additional fatigue on the springs, making this very dangerous. Leaving the control arms on the bottom prevents the axle from “rolling forward” on you and adding the fatigue on the springs. Complete this step before going to step 9.
- The next step is removing the 4x 22mm bolts which hold the lower control arm to the axle. These bolts are big and chances are rusted, so soak liberally for 7 days and then break the lock with a 24 inch breaker bar and 22mm 6 point socket and then finish up with your favorite 1/2 inch impact gun. Pic below shows lower shock bolt undone and the control arm 22mm bolts are all off. Removal of the 4 bolts on the control arms (2 on each side and the loosen from the bolt side as the nut bites into the axle frame), which should allow the axle to fully droop. PN 90119-16003 and also torques back to 127 ft pounds when on the ground. Hand tighten per FSM. once you have the bolts removed, raise the axle back up with the jack.
- Double check your jack and positioning it to support the differential. Also, make sure you can support each side to dock with the dollies. I may get a third for the third member.
- Lower the axle.
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