knuckle rebuild q's

[saint60]

hey guys. i was looking at some threads last night and some were talking about rebuilding their knuckles. the drivers side is leaking on the front of my 60 and needs to be rebuilt. i have never done this before and usually have someone help me when i don't know what i'm doing. however, i recently moved and all of my recources were lost. i did a search last night on this and pirate 4x4, but found nothing. surely somebody has done a write up on this. does anybody know where it's at or have any advice? thanks.
ON A SIDE NOTE- I NEVER INTRODUCED MYSELF WHEN I JOINED THE FORUM. MY NAME IS NATHAN. I'VE BEEN LIVING IN IDAHO FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS WHILE I WENT TO COLLEGE, BUT I GRADUATED AND AM SEEKING EMPLOYMENT. I'M NOW IN GREEN RIVER, WY. BOTH PLACES HAVE BEEN A LOT OF FUN IN THE CRUISER. MY RECENT CRUISER (MY THIRD) IS AN 84 WITH A 350, STOCK TRANNY, RANGER TORQUE SPLITTER. I JUST GOT AN OME SUSPENSION THAT I LOVE, AND AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON TRIMMING THE QUARTERS. I NEED NEW TIRES AND THE CRUISER WOULD BE AWESOME. I CURRENTLY RIDE 31'S, BUT I NEED 33 BFG MTR'S. I'M STILL RECUPERATING FROM THE SUSPENSION THOUGH SO THE FUNDS ARE TIGHT. ANYWAY-THANKS FOR THE HELP THAT YA'LL HAVE ALREADY OFFERED ME. -NATE

 

[Doc]

I just rebuilt the knuckle on my 80- same situation. No real knowledge of the process, and it needed to be done ASAP.

Check my thread about it.

LINK!

 

[Jim_Phillips]

I did a write up when I owned an 80. The procedure for the 60 is very similar so it may help to read it:

http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/birf-repack.php

Download a FSM from www.birfield .com and you will see that the procedure is described in detail. My write up contains good links to other write ups with photos.

FWIW, I am no great mechanic but did a front axle job with the help of the 80's crew with no real difficulties

 

[jesterb]

I did my first knuckle rebuild about a month ago. While I usually have someone holding my hand while I wrench, I was able to complete the job all by my big self. Just take your time. Keep your workspace clean. Label and seperate every part. Buy about a case of brake parts cleaner and shop rags. A 3lbs hammer and a big brass drift will be your most used tools. Dont be afraid to post if you get hung up.

 

[Cascade Cruiser]

I just did the same job on my 60 this weekend. One piece of advice.......

Don't bother disconnecting the tie rod end from the knuckle arm. Both the FSM and the write up on this website say to do this, but I spent at least a couple hours banging on the darn thing (I don't have a puller, torch, etc.) before I came to my senses. The knuckle arm can be removed easily enough by removing the 4 nuts and cone washers on top of the knuckle and using a brass punch to pop the arm up and out of the knuckle from below. Then you can just swing it out of the way still attached to the tie rod end. The pros on this board can correct me if I'm wrong, but the only reason to remove the tie rod end would be to check preload on the knuckle bearings. If you throughly clean all surfaces and reuse the same shims, the preload should be pretty much the same.

Post any other questions if you run into trouble...

 

[hightide]

i hope that what Cascade says about knuckle preload is correct. I cant get the darn tie rod end of the arm. I have spent a good part of this day trying to get it loose. no luck. so what do the cruiser gurus say?

Gracias

 

[cullmancruiser]

I recently did both knuckles on my 62. The only reason to remove the tie rod is to check preload. I did get my tie rods seperated with a pickle fork and a BFH. I went back together with new bearings and original shims and my preload was within specs on both sides but I would be a bit nervous about not being able to check it. You will probably be ok with original shims but check it real good for any play. Good Luck!

 

[hightide]

Gracias amigo Cullman,

Heck yeah I'm worried, but am hopeing that the Cruiser pre-load gods look down on me favorably. Tried getting it out with a TRE puller from A.Zone. No luck. I did manage to mess up the TRE bolt and now the castle nut wont go in. Getting dark. Ill worry about it tommarow.

Asta luego!

 

[hightide]

Well almost done with the the rebuild. I was able to remove the castle nut from the drivers side (US) and checked preload and it was to speck. That reasures me a little about the passangers side (US). If I go back and start whacking away to remove the TRE on the P side will that mess up the knuckle work I just did?

Another question. The FSM says to torque castle nut to 67 ft-lbs. I did this and the cotter pin hole almost made it to the gap. Should i tighten it just a hair to clear, or should I loosen it?

Gracias!

 

[saint60]

tighten it a little. you should be all right.