Dana 44 disassembly and repair

[th3fourn]

Hey everyone! I just bought a 1974 bronco and doing a complete rebuild with my dad! Hopefully create some great memories. We are looking at the front axle and are going to take apart for powder coating and clean the inside and check bearings. Have any of you done this and how hard is it to get the joints back in the correct position. I’ve heard some people say they wouldn’t do it and others saying it’s hard but you can do it. If you have any experience or recommendations please let me know!

Thanks
Brett

 

[Speedrdr]

It’s not an un-doable job BUT you need to have a manual to guide you and take lots of pictures to help you remember where parts went, orientation of parts and it can also help give a timeline of when you disassembled a particular thing.

Randy

 

[The Far Side]

^^^^^^^^^What he said X2. Didn't take near enough pics doing my D20 and paid for it by reassembling 4x. The D44 is in my future and I plan to do that one much different than my D20. Lots and lots of pics. Or that may be the one thing I pay someone to do LOL.

 

[Rustytruck]

start with this. then go to a factory service manual. The worst part is the inner axle seal on the inside of the axle tubes. the gears are not too bad is you don't have to remove and replace the bearings and races on the pinion. just leave the races in the housing. keep the differential together and the races together do not swap the bearing caps take them out and pull the differential, the bearing races will fall out tie wrap them to the same side they came out of. put the bearing caps back in place so they don't get lost or swapped.

 

[Rustytruck]

sorry forgot.
http://media.spicerparts.com/cfs/files/media/XtCh3tGhAaZjJh5Ht/5310-3.pdf

 

[th3fourn]

awesome thank you! Ill let you know how it goes

 

[th3fourn]

haha thank you! And we will see how it goes, might pay someone as well if I get stuck haha

 

[tatersalad]

start with this. then go to a factory service manual. The worst part is the inner axle seal on the inside of the axle tubes. the gears are not too bad is you don't have to remove and replace the bearings and races on the pinion. just leave the races in the housing. keep the differential together and the races together do not swap the bearing caps take them out and pull the differential, the bearing races will fall out tie wrap them to the same side they came out of. put the bearing caps back in place so they don't get lost or swapped.

My local Ford dealership parts guy let me use their tool for the inner seals. He was starting a Bronco build and I was selling him parts from mine cheap so he hooked me up. I don't think I could of got them installed wo it

 

[msmith]

I just dropped my 44 off to a guy that has been doing punkins for 30+ years. His day job is at a Mack dealership. He's doing mine on the side for $200 plus parts. I think that's reasonable and I couldn't buy the tools to do it for that. I MIGHT try my 9 inch when I go to regear it.

 

[DirtDonk]

I used a broom handle with a custom cross-bar nailed to it to install seals in a Dana 60 a few years ago. They actually went in pretty easily.
Got it apart and the new seals and all back together in less than an hour. Took longer to figure out how we were going to do it and to "build" the tool than it did to do the work.

Setting up from scratch with gears and bearings is a whole 'nutha thing though! Never had the pleasure. But looking forward to it someday.
I think...?:?

Paul

 

[okie4570]

If you have access to a lift, take advantage of it. I've done several 44 and 30, but never one on the ground. Take lots of pics, and a cheap set of seal tools from harbor freight or a great collection of large sockets with several extensions will work for replacing inner seals. A piece of pvc will work for the short side seal, do that side first. Use the extensions or a broom handle and socket to do the long side seal.

Inner bearing/gear replacement is a write up all it's own. Make sure you have all specialty tools you need before you start down that path.