Getting ready for front axle rebuild... finally (1 Viewer)

[OGBeno]

I'll try, but only if you promise to include it when you design the 80 series wiki

My basic description without pics would be something like this. This is how I did it this weekend (I'll skip the head scratching and blank stares that occurred while I was trying to figure out the orientations). If Woody posts a bunch of pictures I'll try and incorporate them into this explanation.

Clamp the empty birf (tulip) in a soft jawed vise. Take a look at the cage and notice that it has a flat edge and a tapered edge. The flat edge goes to the outside of the truck (facing down into the birf in the vise). Next look at the star piece. One edge of the splined hole (where the axle engages) has a groove where the C-clip will sit when the axle is installed. This faces the outside of the truck (down into the birf in the vise). The edge on the other side of the star has splines that taper down slightly as they near the edge. This is to help guide the axle splines during reassembly.

Assemble the cage and star, keeping a close eye on the orientation of both parts, and install into them into the birf. The 6 balls can be installed one at a time by aligning the grooves in the star with the slots in the cage and the grooves in the birf, and then tipping the star and cage assembly up. The ball should drop in with no force. If you have to push it in with more than one finger, something might be amiss. Check everything again. Drop the remaining 5 balls in, and presto, you have one assembled birf! Now, take it all apart, coat everything with moly grease (leave a bunch of grease inside the birf) and put it all back together again. Practice makes perfect, right?

Next, install the axle shaft using the ziptie/hose clamp trick. Install the C-clip on the axle shaft. It will be loose. Use a ziptie or hose clamp on top of the C-clip to compress the clip. Align the greased axle splines with the greased splines in the star and press the axle into the star. As the ziptie/hose clamp reaches the star, it will keep the C-clip compressed until it slides into the star. Push the axle in the rest of the way, remove the ziptie/hose clamp and check that the axle will not come out of the birf. Congratulations, you now have one assembled inner axle assembly!



This is just a quick first draft off the top of my head. Let me know if I missed anything

Nice laymen's description. Good job.

 

[Driley]

Here is the first batch of photos (in no particular order).

 

[Driley]

Next batch...

 

[Driley]

Next batch...

 

[Driley]

Next batch...

 

[Driley]

And some more...

 

[Driley]

Last group of photos. Whoever wants to use them for FAQs feel free. I need to get back to the reassembly!

Riley

 

[96r50]

Last group of photos. Whoever wants for use them for FAQs feel free. I need to get back to the reassembly!

Riley

Whoops, I completely forgot to PM you. If its still cool with you, I'll redo the writeup using your pics to illustrate. I'll get on it this afternoon (I'd do it now, but I have an exam in an hour )

 

[Driley]

Whoops, I completely forgot to PM you. If its still cool with you, I'll redo the writeup using your pics to illustrate. I'll get on it this afternoon (I'd do it now, but I have an exam in an hour )

Do what you want with them. They are not that great (camera phone).

Riley

 

[Driley]

Just about done. I was working both sides at the same time (install trunnion bearings and housing on one side, move to the other and do the same). I am ready to put the brake calipers back on and see how everything is.

I will have a long list of items that worked prefectly and some that were not so successful. I am going home!

Riley

 

[Driley]

Started at 10:00 AM on Monday, finished at 10:00 AM Friday. I wonder if this the longest axle rebuild ever? I was not in a hurry and I figure I spent about 3 to 6 hours a day actually working on the axle. As I removed a part, I would try to get it as clean as possible before moving on. I wanted to spend the extra time learning about the axle and not get in over my head. I also worked both sides during the rebuild. Once I finished one stage (trunnion bearings and housing installed and torqued) I would just take the handful of tools to the other side and do the same. Maybe not the fastest, but I would have all of the torque settings in mind and know exactly what I was doing. No regrets, I am glad I took my time.

Observations:

-Nitrile gloves come in different qualities (Harbor Freight ones ate the skin off my hands - the nice black ones at NAPA were a pleasure to wear).

-Brass drifts at very, very helpful!

-IdahoDoug was spot on about the steering arm nuts (hammer on the arm while you tighten the nuts to 71 ft/lbs.).

-Brian's (Woody) hose clamp trick worked great on the long axle (first try, it went right on) - on the short axle, I missed the splines on the first and second try. Tried the wire tie method and everything was too greasy. Finally decided to try the hose clamp one last time and it worked. Patience was necessary!

-100 series pads barely fit. I had to put some brake lube on the back of the pads to get them to slide in.

-The long axle took 2 tries to get in. I really did not like the feeling of levering the axle shaft on the inner axle seal, but I believe the is no other option. I pushed the birfield in and down as much as possible to force the end of the axle to find home. Again, patience is necessary.

-50 ft/lbs. on the new knuckle studs is about as far as I would take it. I did not even want to go that high, but I got the click and the studs are still intact.

-I used a total of 5 tubes of Valvoline SYNPower moly grease and 1 tub of Mobil 1 synthetic grease.

-I went through 2 rolls of paper towels and 1 trash bag of rags.

-Removing the little holder for the ABS sensor wire mounted to the axle gave me enough room the get the big torque wrench on the upper brake caliper bolt (90 ft/lbs. is not easy without some room).

-Doc's suggestion of using a large screwdriver in the fins of the brake rotor allowed me to get the hub torqued to the new rotor by myself without some type of vise (not sure how you would use a vise on the rotor anyway).

-I set preload at ~15 lbs. per Onur's recommendation and it feels very smooth and solid.

-I must have stretched one of the new snap rings for the axle a little much with my fancy new pliers because it was way too loose/stretched to stay securely in the groove. I just used the old one.

-It is hard to put a value on the fact that if you order parts from CDan, they are always correct. I am very thankful to have that kind of resource and owe him a few #6s if he ever gets to Bend, OR!

I am pleased with the final results. I spent a total of $957.41 but $259.65 of that was tools and reusable items so I feel that I saved well over a $1,000.00 doing it myself.

I am going to drive it for approximately 100 miles then drain the differential fluid. I have another gallon of cheap 80w90 that will go in and I will continue to do that until it comes out clean.

I would not have done this myself without the help of this forum (it took me over 4 years to get the balls to even start on it!). Thanks to all that have shared their knowledge. As a way of paying it forward I will offer to help anyone wanting to attempt the axle rebuild that lives in the Bend, OR area. I at least have every tool required to get this done (I would probably be even faster the next time!).

Thanks again and !

Riley

 

[Beowulf]

I really did not like the feeling of levering the axle shaft on the inner axle seal, but I believe the is no other option.

Nice job Riley!

You should be levering the axle shaft on the indexing ring which is just inside of the inner axle seal. There are several pictures in the FAQ.

-B-

 

[wxm]

Driley, will it be possible for you to post the exact measurement for the PVC pipe that you cut down? My local HomeDepot sells it in 10' piece. I figure I will have them cut it to the right size and easier for me to carry too... Thanks!

 

[Driley]

Driley, will it be possible for you to post the exact measurement for the PVC pipe that you cut down? My local HomeDepot sells it in 10' piece. I figure I will have them cut it to the right size and easier for me to carry too... Thanks!

I just bought the 10' section of 2" schedule 40 PVC pipe and used a hacksaw. I threw away the long end piece but for the short axle side, I cut it at 19" (you only need a few inches extra length to let the axle fall completely out of the birfield. The PVC pipe was pretty much destroyed at the birfield end after the slamming.

Riley