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  • lovemachine

    Grandmaster
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    17   0   0
    Dec 14, 2009
    15,604
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    Indiana
    Well, I said I'd post a little about the tools needed to re-gear. You can add it to your notes for your own re-gear project. :) There are tons of better write-ups out there on the web, but I like posting in this Jeep thread. It helps keep me motivated to get things done. So here it is.

    This is the list from the USA Standard Gear installation instructions:

    Dial indicator
    Precision calipers or micrometer
    Gear-marking compound and a clean brush
    Bearing pullers
    Bearing press
    10- or 12-inch spanner wrench or spanner tool
    Misc. hand and air tools including
    – Three-foot-long breaker bar or strong impact gun
    – Pinion nut socket
    – Ring gear bolt socket
    – Main cap bolt socket
    – 6-point or 12-point cross-pin bolt wrench
    – Brake line wrench
    – Pry bars for removing the carrier case
    – Misc. hammers
    – Assorted brass drifts for removing bearing races
    – Center punch or number stamp for marking main caps
    – Oil drain pan
    Torque wrenches

    I can find most of the above in Dad's garage. Since his garage is so cluttered, first I have to create some bench space to work. A 2x8 on some cinder blocks and a piece of plywood on some saw horses came in handy:

    18843328859_0417be046e_z.jpg



    I don't have a bearing puller like this clam shell type one. I haven't used one either, but they look pretty slick in YouTube videos. I used a small shop press from either Harbor Freight or Northern Tool (one of the cheap tool shops). It's kind of like this model, but built a little different. The one in the link looks nicer, actually. I use it with gear puller plates to get bearings off like the pic below. The Dana 30 shims go inside the bearings. This is why it's a lot easier to either make or buy setup bearings. Having to press bearings on and off every time you want to test a different shim setup would really be a pain in the rear. It also increases the chances of damaging the bearing in the removal process. It is pretty likely I'll bend shims up when removing bearings the way I do. Reaming out the old bearings on the inside so they will fit on by hand will allow them to be used during the setup process.

    18631753240_a6d1a3a143_z.jpg


    You also need a press to put the bearing back on. There are probably other ways to get the bearings on, but in my opinion, a press is the right way to do it. If a person was careful they might be able to slowly work the bearings on with a brass drift punch and a hammer, or something flat and a hammer. I would buy one of these cheap presses before I went about it that way.

    Dad keeps a coffee can full of old inner bearing races with the outer cage cut off. They are various sizes for shafts and pinions we've used, and have been relieved on the inside to slip over the work pieces. They fit up against the inner race of the new bearings very well, obviously. It keeps the press plates on the bottom from pushing on the outer bearing cage.

    19003294206_dd95f065ba_z.jpg


    Then you need some tools to measure things. I had a selection of torque wrenches. A 1/2" drive that goes 50-250 ft/lb, a 3/8ths drive that does 20 to something, which I used for bearing caps and ring gear bolts. And an in/lb torque wrench for measuring bearing pre-load. It needs to be a beam or dial type, the click type won't work for this measurement. They can be found inexpensively on Amazon, or you can go high end. The one pictured below is pretty old and the indicator bar is bent so it starts 2.5 in/lbs low. The scale is also kind of weird, with the 10's being broken in to 4 graduations (apparently 2.5 in/lb per line). I'm sure it's not super accurate, but it's close enough for my purposes. You'll also need a dial indicator with a magnetic base to measure backlash and calipers to measure shim thickness. Most of what we're using are just cheap stuff from Harbor Freight. I included some links. I would use better stuff if I needed real precision or did it for a living. Just to use every once in awhile, I think the cheap stuff is good enough.

    18408866493_1ca5a56e45_z.jpg


    Having an assortment of impact enhancing and directing devices is handy. Some brass drift punches, a dead blow hammer, some rubber and nylon mallets, and a ball peen hammer were all used at some point. After I was done, I collected up what was on the floor and took this picture. A seal driver set helps. A seal puller can be handy, and I used one. But I usually end up using a big screwdriver or something. I find the inner axle seals come out easier if you just knock them out through the axle tube. I used a random piece of conduit I found in the garage to knock them out and a dowel rod against one of the plastic seal driver attachments to put the new ones back. The piece of angle iron in the photo below has a hole drilled in it and a cut out to make clearance for a socket. This is used to hold the pinion yoke when torquing the pinion nut. I've seen other people use a large pipe wrench on the yoke and it seems to work well. An impact wrench and air ratchet will make the whole thing go a bit faster. I used a medium-sized crow bar to pry the carrier out the first time as well.

    18843332999_2b65df3826_z.jpg



    That was about it aside from standard wrenches and ratchets, and appropriate sized sockets. Two small jack stands to hold the axles up and random blocks of wood to support the pinion at various times. I lost some of this post in the editing because I did something stupid.

    When are you going to start on yours, lovemachine? Some low gears and selectable lockers front and rear would make your Jeep really sexy.

    I think I may wait a bit. I keep thinking it would be stupid to NOT put lockers in. And I need more $$$$ for that, which I do not have.
     

    Jackson

    Master
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    Mar 31, 2008
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    West side of Indy
    lovemachine Lockers and Gears

    How long are you going to wait? You've only been talking about it for over 3 years. I collected some of your old posts where you waffle back and forth about lockers, wanting to re-gear, saving up, etc. Take a look at the history of lovemachine's gear and locker angst.

    Back in May of 2012:

    May 2012
    I do plan on re-gearing once I get the money. Gotta get a new soft top first


    I'd like to do 35's, but I'd like to do the SYE, regear, and axle change first


    Next purchase will be Regearing. I'm unsure if I'll do any axle swaps....


    The regear/axle swap will be a ways down the road. I have nowhere near the money for that yet.

    Then he questions the locker in 2012:

    Lockers.


    Are they worth the money if you have never done "hard" off-roading?


    I do plan on re-gearing once I get the money. Gotta get a new soft top first

    I see.


    So how much am I looking at if I had lockers installed. And upgraded my axles and did a regear?


    I'm also trying to decide if it'll be worth doing a SYE. I know it'll take care of vibrations, but honestly, I'm probably used to them by now because I don't notice anything...

    Then it sounds like he doesn't want them:


    I've watched guys go over obstacles where they need to use lockers.


    That crap scares the crap outta me.


    I'm happy with the "smaller" stuff I go over. Eventually I'd like to upgrade my axles and get lockers, but thats a lot of money to spend on something I would rarely use.


    I would like to get a SYE though.

    Then a few pages in he's decided on ARB's. At this point he still doesn't know what kind of rear axle he's got. :laugh: I think this was sometime in 2013:

    After researching, I have now decided I'm going to install a Superior Super 35 kit, with an ARB locker.


    I'm undecided to put a front locker in.


    I think I may go with 4.56's....


    I do keep going back and forth between a Detroit and ARB. But for a Daily Driver, I'm wondering if the ARB would be the better choice...

    Then a couple years later he's decided he doesn't need lockers:

    My axles won't be strong enough for 37's. And I don't have the money to do anything that extreme. I'm just wanting to have a more properly set up rig. Which is why I want to regear. Being able to run 35's would be awesome. But I am happy to stick with 33's....


    Lockers? Meh, I don't have money for that either, and at this point it's really not on my radar.




    Not enough to need a locker.

    Now he wants a locker again:

    I think I may wait a bit. I keep thinking it would be stupid to NOT put lockers in. And I need more $$$$ for that, which I do not have.


    At some point you have to poop or get off the pot. ;)

    As for whether lockers are necessary, if you're on the road 99% of the time and only get off-road to play, and don't do anything extreme, you can get a lot of places without them. If you don't want to spend an extra 600 to 1500 bucks on the hardware, no one is going to look down on you and since you've never used them, you won't know the difference anyway. :dunno: If you're going to do it though, and you're going to pay someone to re-gear the axles anyway, that is the time to do it. It'll be less expense to do it at the same time.

    I would also remind you about this post, though:

    I bought all the tools and supplies once I got my suspension kit.


    I figured it would be cheaper to purchase all the tools vs paying someone else to do it. Plus I'm done with having to deal with someone's else's mistakes on my jeep. I'm doing all my own work now. You won't believe the mistakes I found from 4 Wheel Parts.


    I learned as I went too. Read everything on Jeep Forum. Best thing I ever did.

    You seemed pretty excited when you learned to put your own suspension together. Doing the axles can be learned and the tools can be purchased.

    It sounds like I'm poking fun at lovemachine, and I kinda am. But it's all in good spirits. I think his jeep is really cool as is. He's put a lot in to it, and it sounds like he's learned a lot since he started. Whatever you do with your axles (lockers, no lockers, just drive it as-is for another 4 years), I'm sure it'll be fine. I just wish I had my Jeep together so I could meet you out at the Badlands and see how that TJ does on the trails.
     
    Last edited:

    lovemachine

    Grandmaster
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    Dec 14, 2009
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    Indiana
    How long are you going to wait? You've only been talking about it for over 3 years. I collected some of your old posts where you waffle back and forth about lockers, wanting to re-gear, saving up, etc. Take a look at the history of lovemachine's gear and locker angst.

    Back in May of 2012:

    May 2012











    Then he questions the locker in 2012:








    Then it sounds like he doesn't want them:




    Then a few pages in he's decided on ARB's. At this point he still doesn't know what kind of rear axle he's got. :laugh: I think this was sometime in 2013:



    Then a couple years later he's decided he doesn't need lockers:








    Now he wants a locker again:




    At some point you have to poop or get off the pot. ;)

    As for whether lockers are necessary, if you're on the road 99% of the time and only get off-road to play, and don't do anything extreme, you can get a lot of places without them. If you don't want to spend an extra 600 to 1500 bucks on the hardware, no one is going to look down on you and since you've never used them, you won't know the difference anyway. :dunno: If you're going to do it though, and you're going to pay someone to re-gear the axles anyway, that is the time to do it. It'll be less expense to do it at the same time.

    I would also remind you about this post, though:



    You seemed pretty excited when you learned to put your own suspension together. Doing the axles can be learned and the tools can be purchased.

    It sounds like I'm poking fun at lovemachine, and I kinda am. But it's all in good spirits. I think his jeep is really cool as is. He's put a lot in to it, and it sounds like he's learned a lot since he started. Whatever you do with your axles (lockers, no lockers, just drive it as-is for another 4 years), I'm sure it'll be fine. I just wish I had my Jeep together so I could meet you out at the Badlands and see how that TJ does on the trails.

    Quit picking on me Jackson!!!
     

    Jackson

    Master
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    Mar 31, 2008
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    West side of Indy
    But this yj already had a 4.0 HO swapped into it and it was a steal of a deal at $2500. I would love to have a cj but a decent one is hard to find. When you do find a good one they want 10k for it.

    That is very true. There are a lot of advantages to the YJ. The frame is sturdier for one. Fuel injection for another. If you reallly liked the CJ look, a CJ hood, grille, and fenders will bolt up to the YJ with a little modification. It's way more trouble than it's worth unless you just love the CJ like I do. If I could find a good condition YJ and had extra cash, that's what I would do.

    And that hideous YJ dash.... I'd replace that too.
     

    eldirector

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    Apr 29, 2009
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    Brownsburg, IN
    Well, crap.

    Actually, I have about 6 weeks to get it done and tested. We have an event 8/7 that we NEVER miss, and I really want to take the CJ.

    Yeah, yeah... I'll take pictures!
     

    eldirector

    Grandmaster
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    Fine w/ me. Gears are the easy part. I need to build the steering, too.

    Actually, none of it is really all that hard. Just time consuming, and I am lazy. Set up the gears, build the steering (including re-mounting the ram assist), rebuild the hubs and brakes, and then driveshafts. Huh... I guess I better get started....
     

    Lee11b

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    Apr 22, 2014
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    Hey Lovemachine!!! my front is stainless, not chrome...I know it's flashy, but got a hell of a deal from 4x4 parts a few years ago ($229 and free shipping...plus it has welded ends, not those cheap plastic inserts.
     
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