Axle Upgrades

[Hahnsb2]

How about properly setting up the wheel bearings?

 

[bobbywalter]

How about properly setting up the wheel bearings?

awwwwwwwww cut it out

 

[4x4junkie]

Yeah, there's certainly something seriously wrong here if you're blowing through bearings on dinky little 31s.

You torquing the inner nut to 15 INCH-lbs (no more)?
Outer locknut (if manual hubs) to 225ft-lbs?
Timken bearings?
Good quality lithium-base wheelbearing grease?

 

[bobbywalter]

i was thinking hard city braking, lots of mud and water, and does not know how to properly pack.



i have to say, i am really surprised by the amount of people i run with that do not have a clue on how to pack bearings. dragging laden trailers all over hell too



crazy.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Bobby, how well do those bearing packers work in your experiance?

 

[bobbywalter]

it depends, i have seen units that have good range that actually work if you sit the bearing right. 200 dollars though.


i just use my hands and force it through till theres no air bubbles.


you can fill a sandwich bag with grease and do it that way if your patient enough and dont like getting gooey, i do this in certain situations off road.


generally i like to have two sets pre greased and bagged ready to go.


but situations like running to tennesee/tucky border with the 35's on usually eats a set at speeds above posted by the time i get back. in town (detroit) i have warped the hub part of the rotor from brake heat which loosens the lugs/studs and eats the wheel holes...so you have to snap all the studs off to remove the tire....and then replace the rotor. damn bearings were cooked but the nuts didnt back off, i had super pads that cost like 90 bux...fawkers destroyed 3 sets of rotors and 6 or so sets of bearings before they wore out...lesson learned.


but my bearings are set right and packed right. easy short driving with even 35's dont hurt em too bad, but they are under heavy wear and tear. its the whole total for street use that worries me with most people, cause most just dont know any better.

 

[bobbywalter]

but i dont have them problems anymore with the 60's


and brakes.....oh yeah...i gots some brakes...

 

[hitech_hick]

You can get a bearing packer at Sears for around $25. They work decent, and in my experience hold up surprisingly well for being plastic. One thing that I would recommend though is to keep the packer/grease at room temperature. I repacked my bearing in sub-zero temps once and needed to stick the packer in a bench vise to make it work.


hick

 

[swtjames23]

I know how to pack bearings but I have way offset wheels for one thing. Also, i made a discovery yesterday that i think might have something to do with it. My ebrake has been virtually unusable lately due to it being so loose and I found out yesterday that they drums just needed to be adjusted (the little gear wheel, not sure why i didn't think of that before so go ahead call me an idiot). But I thought about it for a sec and realized that my front brakes have probably been working a lot harder than they should have been (especially since i drive a lil too fast sometimes), which creates heat, which destroys bearings! Makes sense especially since my grease was black (started purple, yes lithium based) and the races were scored last time I replaced the bearings. So my problem might be solved but i'm still gonna throw on the F150 knuckles cause it sounds like fun and eventually I'll be buildin this truck up as soon as its not my DD. Oh and yeah i know how to torque them down too i read around here a lot.

 

[Todd]

Additional info of the swap I failed to mention. Asked Jim to put this in so its covered.

The Knuckles I used where 84-86 I believe. Just about any TTB 44 knuckles should work. The only special tool need is the ream. The ream used is 1 ½” taper per foot. The Dana 44 stub shafts use the same u joint as Dana 35 so shaft assembly is just like a 35 shaft but with the 44 stub in place of the 35 stub. The stock brake master cylinder works fine with the 44 calipers. So it does not need to be replaced but could be if you see fit.

 

[CopyKat]

 

[swtjames23]

Thanks Todd, now if i could just find some 44 knuckles i could bust this out in no time

 

[86ford]

i have an odd feeling your spindles look like they lost a battle with a grinder or a set of torches.....

86

 

[rickcdewitt]

did you use todds procedure? what year knuckles and style ball joints?

 

[CopyKat]

did you use todds procedure? what year knuckles and style ball joints?

Ya I followed it. there were a few details that were left out but I managed to figure it out. Year of knuckles.....no clue. The TTB was already out of the truck when the PO bought it. I know it's not an 87. Same joints Todd specs in his article.