Swapping Front Rotor tonight! Help!

[SHINTON]

Ok, I did a quick search on this in the forum already and have been reading my Chilton's the last week or so. This is on a 72 GMC Jimmy, 6 bolt Dana 44 axle! (Warn hubs) I double posted into the First Gen forum too, wanting some feedback today if possible!

To swap out the rotor, it appears I will be disassembling the hub, there is 2 diff snap rings to look for, and something called a spindle nut. (Chilton's has a nice exploded diagram!)

So.. what ELSE should I be doing in there tonight, and which of those parts should I just buy new while I am at it?

Parts: Buying a new rotor, new caliper, new pads, and hopefully one of the rubber brake hose things that connect the caliper to brakeline. (Rumor has it that may be the issue instead of bad caliper...)

Things I am thinking I may need? New "seals" I think there are 1-2, they appear to just be a few dollars? The wheel bearings were replaced a few years ago so I was just gonna repack em in grease?

What am I missing... since it will already be open, what should I do while I am in there?

TIA for all the help... I am lookg fwd to this, the Jimmy hasnt been out since last December! But with this tonight, I will be back on the road.. and going 4x4ing on Saturday!!!

Oh yeah.. the hub assembly/rotor are 'together' and I saw someone mention pressing the studs out to separate.. is this true? Is this something I can do at home or I am gonna have to get it done at a press? Durn Chilton's didn't mention this one I don't think!

Basically...how do u separate the hub and rotor? Pics?

Sam Hinton

 

[BamBamblazer]

I just went through this last weekend. It is all simple, and as far as pressing out the studs, the easy way is to get the rotor hub assy. lying on the ground and put the lugnuts back on. (old ones if you have any) Then with the lugs above the top of the studs tap ( fairly hard ) on the lugs with a hammer and this will drive them out the back of the rotor. then just put them back in the new rotor and old hub and draw them through with the lugnuts and a lug wrench. Hope that sounds logical, if not pm me and i will try to help more. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[Calclips]

after you pull the hub apart (its really easy, just remove the allen bolts and it mostly pulls out... the snap rings are easy to find and remove) you'll be looking right at the spindle nut. You will need a special socket to get the nut off, the socket is kind of expensive... but worth it if you plan on owning the jimmy or any other solid axle GM for a while, or you could just borrow the socket from a local parts store. Once you get the spindle nut off and remove the brakes (do it before you pull everything else apart) the rotor will pull off and that should be as far into the axle that you need to go. If you need to do front u-joints or anything like that now would be a good time, seeing as your almost there. I may have left something out, but I think its all there. I'm sure that somebody will chime in after this jumps up to the top.

 

[SHINTON]

Do you happen to know what "size" the spindle nut socket will be? I saw a couple of them on the autozone tool lending website. This is not the 3/4 ton, but 1/2 ton dana 44.

Excellent tip on the studs/using the lugnut! thx!

Sam Hinton

 

[Calclips]

They should know at the parts store, just tell them its for a D44. The one you need has 4 prongs on it. If it has 6 prongs I believe its the socket for the 14bff... Check the torque specs on that spindle nut when you put it back in or I think you can fry the bearings.