Dana 60 spindle bearing. whf?

[nvrenuf]

I agree, I've seen people put a lot worse back together.

That said, rather than getting a puller I'd get a big, long flat screwdriver and bend the last couple of inches 45*. Insert it into the outboard end of the spindle until it catches the inner shoulder of the bearing then knock it out.

 

[Fordum]

The two main problems when that bearing wears out, is noise when the axle is turning, and the locking hub not engaging right.

When you get the bearings completely gone, the end of the axle is free to flop around in the hub, and can cause the locking parts to not line up.
But it has to get really bad for that to happen.

I have actually seen new bearings out of the box that did not look as good as yours.
I just wiped off the surface rust, greased them and put them in.

To understand why the little rust spots and pits don't worry me, consider the load.

You are considering replacing a set of hardened steel roller bearings with a piece of Teflon.......
That tells you all you need to know about load on those bearings.
Imagine trying to replace the wheel bearings with pieces of Teflon!

If you had not already bought the kit, I would put the money toward a greaser and forget about replacing them.

On my old truck, which stayed in mud and water, I think I replaced those bearings 2 or 3 times in 50K.
Then I bought the greaser, and never touched them for the next 80-100K.

 

[munepit]

Thanks bud. Just picked up the (2) SBK3 kits. $20.00 each. I only need the big rubber gasket out of each kit. Onnne spindle bearing spins easy and the other, not so much. I will be doing the 35 spline stub shaft conversion soon, so I will do the teflon thingy then. I hammered it back in.

 

[4X4HIGH]

My buddy ran those teflon bushings and got something like 400 miles on them and they are now in pieces. He found some much better design bushings that he's going to be installing.

 

[munepit]

Great. That sucks. Well packed the bearings on one side, one to go. Picking up the axle in an hr or two. Going to be a long night! Got everything cleaned, greased and painted. Just need the housing. Going to be fun taking the axle out of the truck by myself!! We will see how that goes. Need steroids quick!

 

[munepit]

When I put in the studs for the spring mount on thee 60, loctight, red right? Thanks!

 

[4X4HIGH]

Can't help you there as I don't run studs. I would not use lock tite though but that's me. A stud has a far superior clamping force than a bolt does and they won't come loose.

 

[munepit]

Ok thanks Scott. How can you not run studs? Oh, it came (the axle) with two big bolts. Should I reuse those, or, I think its not good to reuse bolts. You use bolts correct?

 

[munepit]

I can't reuse the bolts. They are 2 1/4" long.my spring pack is 2" thick. Useing the studs. If I need to take it out, what, weld a nut on it, and do it that way?

 

[4X4HIGH]

Ok thanks Scott. How can you not run studs? Oh, it came (the axle) with two big bolts. Should I reuse those, or, I think its not good to reuse bolts. You use bolts correct?

I use bolts because that's what came with my axle when I bought it. If you already have studs then by all means run them, if you have bolts then you can run them also. The biggest concern no matter which you use is that they aren't binding because of too much spring shim causing the bolt head or nut to not sit flat on the spring plate. Greg has found some spherical washers that correct any misalignment.

 

[Fordum]

Most of the time you can take a stud out using the two nut method.

what you do is, you grab your two nuts.....

No, that's what you do when you.........Never Mind. I keep forgetting that you folks are a lot younger than me.....Better not tell that one.

Anyway, thread on two nuts onto the stud, hold the bottom one, and tighten the top one down on it hard.
Then turn the bottom one counter-clockwise like you are trying to take it off over the top nut.

Since they are jammed together, the stud turns.

 

[4X4HIGH]

Also, when you go to install a stud NEVER use any kind of force to tighten it down, a stud is meant to only be finger tight in the hole and then the nut does the clamping.

 

[munepit]

Also, when you go to install a stud NEVER use any kind of force to tighten it down, a stud is meant to only be finger tight in the hole and then the nut does the clamping.

Sheit, have to redo that then. We, Tom came over and helped. It on! Wife is pissed that I'm not spending time with her. So, I will wake up at 5 and finish it. If I can sleep that long. So far so good. I have been waiting many many yrs for this axle.

 

[4X4HIGH]

Thanks bud. Just picked up the (2) SBK3 kits. $20.00 each. I only need the big rubber gasket out of each kit. Onnne spindle bearing spins easy and the other, not so much. I will be doing the 35 spline stub shaft conversion soon, so I will do the teflon thingy then. I hammered it back in.

I searched around and found the conversation about the Delrin spindle bushings.

Here is what was said...

"On the spindle bushing front, My plastic bushings were toast after about 400 miles. Granted they were under "severe" wear conditions but they just got to hot.
I showed Kyle the carnage and we chatted about an alternative material called Torlon.
Torlon 4301 extruded PAI is primarily used for wear and friction parts. It offers a very low expansion rate, low coefficient of friction and exhibits little or no slip-stick in use. Torlon also remains stable at temps above temperatures to 500°F (260°C). and is impregnated with graphite's for lubrication properties.
So my friend John and I made some, made a few changes to the design, and will be testing them over the next few months.
I will report back what I find with this proto type set".