Did my Knuckle/Birfield rebuild today!! (1 Viewer)

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offroadkid

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Took a personal day off,(thanks boss!), so I could bring my 92 into work and wrench on my front axle. All the guys got a kick out of the Land Cruiser front axle, (we're a Chevrolet/Chrysler Dealership). Thanks to all the information I learned in here, and last weekends S.O.S. Birfield post, I knew what to look out for! I had my rack, all my tools, air tools, my factory service manual, 120 lb barrel of grease, endless latex gloves, endless shop towels, and a parts wash machine! I replaced all the bearings, seals, races, repacked the Birfields, and replaced the rotors and calipers. No more clack, clack, clack on u-turns now!! Again, thanks to everyone, and have a wonderful weekend!!
 
You did make sure the knuckle/steering arm studs were seated before you torqued the nuts didn't you? My experience and a post about it here taught me what I had no idea about until the mishap...... :'(

:cheers:
 
Offroad - When you say the mechanics got a kick out of the front axle system - what do you mean? Are they impressed OR think it's wierd or what?

I'm just curious what they really thought.
 
[quote author=offroadkid link=board=2;threadid=8091;start=msg68490#msg68490 date=1069899317]
No more clack, clack, clack on u-turns now!! Again, thanks to everyone, and have a wonderful weekend!!
[/quote]

So your birfields were making noise? How long? Any damage? Were your knuckles leaking? How many miles on your LC?
 
[quote author=Riley link=board=2;threadid=8091;start=msg68538#msg68538 date=1069906177]
Offroad - When you say the mechanics got a kick out of the front axle system - what do you mean? Are they impressed OR think it's wierd or what?

I'm just curious what they really thought.
[/quote]

My guess is that they were acutely embarrased by the stud-muffin axle presented before them. :rolleyes:

I can say that because I did my time as a Parts manager at a GM dealership. A totaly different level of automobile.

In my tenure we spent a lot of time replacing shortblocks in motorhome chassiss, Very often the BRAND NEW GM shortblock would not live through the test drive............

Good money though :rolleyes:
 
[quote author=Riley link=board=2;threadid=8091;start=msg68538#msg68538 date=1069906177]
Offroad - When you say the mechanics got a kick out of the front axle system - what do you mean? Are they impressed OR think it's wierd or what?

I'm just curious what they really thought.
[/quote]

GM hasn't produced a live axle truck since the mid 80s. They were probably wondering where the A-arms were located.
 
i didn't really understand or appreciate the live axle thing until doing 3.75 birfield sides. Then I started thinking about running it without the axle. Next thinking about how the axle runs through the spindle, driving the flange and the meanwhile the wheel weight really riding on the spindle. Then all that being transfered to some degree to the knuckle bearings. Interesting to think about the forces at play.

Very cool. I guess my 60 was the same design on the front but I never torn it down and thought about it.
 
How many miles does your Cruiser have?? How many miles before I should replace em?? Anyone know. I REALLY need to change mine(been 50k miles or so :( )
 
1. I mean they "got a kick out of them", because they were impressed!! Comments like, "man, those look military!" or "look at the size of those balls on the ends!" They enjoyed watching to see how it all worked! I've always owned toyotas, and I get so much s#!* from the guys for my "Jap crap"!! Meanwhile I've replaced axle seals on Chevy trucks with only 14K miles!! But it's job security. It's all in fun!!

2. Yeah, my left birfield was noisey, my knuckles weren't leaking. Our 92 currently has 209,734 on the odometer.
 
[quote author=offroadkid link=board=2;threadid=8091;start=msg68642#msg68642 date=1069949775]

2. Yeah, my left birfield was noisey, my knuckles weren't leaking. Our 92 currently has 209,734 on the odometer.
[/quote]

So was this the first birfield repack for your LC?
 
I honestly don't know. The old Vietnamese man I bought it from didn't have any maintenance records, but had said the front brakes were new!! There were some washers missing from between the cone washers and nuts on the hubs, so, something had been apart!! :p
 
[quote author=offroadkid link=board=2;threadid=8091;start=msg68642#msg68642 date=1069949775]
"look at the size of those balls on the ends!"
[/quote]

Ok, Where's Junk? :D
 
Wait one minute.... This thingt about having the steering arm seated before torquing or disaster. I have an HJ60, not sure if I did that, what can go wrong?

Alex :eek:
 
Alex,
Jroc had the lower steering arm bolts loosen and fall off. Massive leaking was detected shortly before a near disaster if the last bolt had fallen off. You can search the archives for his post with detailed pics and an explaination.
-B-
 

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