Dana 60, Detroit Locker and 4.56 gears Installation
Since 31 Jan 2000
Purschase a new Detroit "Soft Locker" over the internet from a guy, ($300.00 plus
18.00 shipping) still in the plastic & box. i verified the part # through Tractech
berfore purchase, It fit 30-spline axles with 4.56 and up Ring & Pinions. After much
debating I ordered a "Dana" brand Ring and Pinion from "Randy's Ring & Pinion"
along with a Yukon install kit that came with Randy's instructions, total cost $355.00
1st Day: I removed the driveshaft and then tried to
remove the yoke/pinion nut with my electric impack
wrench (NOT), then tried to use a long breaker bar and
hold the yoke with a pipe wrench (NOT), So finally used
my trusty hammer and chisel, destroyed the nut but
it came off OK. (sad but true, i'm getting good with a
hammer and chisel)
Removed nuts and special washers then slide both axle
shafts out a couple inches, did have to use the hammer,
(but no chisel) to un-seat the tappered washers. Nice
thing about a "Full-Floater" is you can leave the tires,
wheels and brakes on.
Time to remove the cover and drain the differential. From my time in
the NAVY working on Helicopters i aquired a likeness for 90W gear
oil, don't ask me why, i just like that distict smell. Then removed the
bearing caps (remember left/right and top/bottom for reinstallation)
I removed "carriage/ring gear/differential assembly" by tapping it with
a rubber mallet side to side, it didn't have any bearing preload left.
Also used rubber mallet to knock pinion back into the housing, then
from inside of housing i knocked outer "pinion bearing & race with
shims (keep all the shims for future measurements)" and pinion outer
seal all out at once. Everything needs cleaned up, the tubes have alot
of dirt/goo in them also. Well it's snowing and cold out, i need to
quit and warm up.
Took many pictures, will post them when all completed
Day 2: Started by cleaning everything up, then removed the
bearings off the old pinion & carrier, then measured all the old
shims(twice) i did re-use the inner pinion bearing shims (the
ones used to set pinion depth) they were in great condition
and both the "old" pinion and "new" pinion were marked with
a +3 (checkout picture), this means the pinion face is
0.0003 inch beyond the standard centerline. So, if the are both
the same and nothing changed in the axle housing, i figured i
might get the pinion depth correct 1st try, we'll see.
So after I installed the inner pinion bearing and shims, I
temporarlly installed the outer pinion bearing and yoke to set
the pinion and hold it in place (but without any preload)
Had to come in, it's cold and i don't have any Kerosene for my
protable heater ("tomorrow i'll buy some", i've said that before)
Later that night, @ 11:00 pm, I installed shims(same thickness
as old ones, .0061 on left & .0060 on right side) and new bearings
onto the "Detroit Locker". I don't have a press, I use a hammer
with soft punches and misc. other stuff.
I also installed the ring gear, locktighted the new bolts and
torqued them to 115 ft. lbs. (I took a picture of it on the Magazine
just to show the size, it's huge stuff, but i'm used to working with
Dana 30, 35, & 44's also)
Day 3 (saturday): I first went to install the assembled "locker, ring gear,
bearings assy" but no good, the bearing preload was way to much and
i couldn't install (hammer) it into the housing. (i don't have a spreader)
I removed a bearing and some shims, (.031 inch) from the left side, then
reinstalled the bearing and put everything in the housing, this time it
went in alittle to easy but not loose, so i checked the backlash. It was
to much, .0012 inch (a Dana 60 should be .0006 to .0010)
So, "i don't have enough preload and my backlash is to much". i decided
to add .0006 shims just to the left side. (this will tighten up the preload
and move the ring gear closer to the pinion decreasing the backlash
at the same time)
I reinstalled and rechecked, backlash was about .0010 inch and it was
still easy to install (not much preload on bearings) So, removed again and
added more shims (.0006) to the left side, and reinstalled in housing.
Well this time it was very hard to install (now it has some preload on the
carrier bearings) i checked backlash a few times, good to go (.0008 inch)
Now it's time to check the "the contact pattern" i used some gear marking
compound and painted about 4 teeth in two different places, turned the pinion
around about 10 times both directions and took a look at the pattern, I
cleaned the teeth and rechecked, it looked great, (having a new and old
pinion with the same +3 and re-using the undamaged used shims might
have helped? anyway, I was pretty happy, time for a brake.
Later removed the "Locker/Ring Gear Assy", to get ready to set the pinion
bearings preload. I used the old nut (and didn't install the seal yet) to do
the trial shim stacks until i got the bearing preload required. it took about
4 tries to get it to about 25 inch lbs.(my Dana 60 don't use a crush washer,
it uses shims under the outer bearing) then took it apart a for final time.
Installed the pinion seal a new nut and tightened it with my impact driver,
getting dark and cold out, will torque tomorrow and install diff..........
Day 4: Torqued pinion nut, installed "Locker/Ring Gear Assy.
and could tell the backlash had changed before checking it.
got out the dial indicator and sure enough the backlash was
now .0016 (should be .0006 to .0010 inch) So, I also checked
the contact pattern, it indicated the pinion was alittle to far
away from the ring gear, (but it's not an acurate check with the
backlash to much) Well i then removed the locker/ring gear
again and took off both side bearings once again, i removed
.0010 shim from right side and installed it on the left side, put
the bearings back on and reinstalled locker/ring gear assy
into the housing and torqued bearing caps down. So the
backlash changed to .0009 inch, good.
Spent the rest of the day on little stuff, drilled out a broken off
cover bolt, painted a suspension droop bracket etc......
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