Front Axle Woes

You’re not going to fail. I was referring to that first axle.

 

No one has mentioned carrier set up bearings but a pair of those make the job soooooo much easier. You can determine the carrier shim packs without having to use a hydraulic press each time you need to make a change. With an open differential you can get the clam shell sort of behind the bearings to pull them but you should consider yourself lucky if you get the job done with just one pair of new bearings. You can make your own set up bearings by some judicious honing of the cone bores.

 

Yes, setup bearings will save you a lot of time and grief. I'm not an expert (only done 3 so far) but I agree with using the same shims that came out of the housing you are going to use as the best starting point. check backlash and pattern and adjust from there, that's where the setup bearings come in really handy.

 

Yup - great advice, that was the first thing I did was carefully make some setup bearings. Probably would have given up already if I didn't! And luckily I knocked the cup and shims out carefully so they are in good shape to re-use.

@Buildflycrash - you're totally right! Added to the pile of all the other stuff I pulled off of her I should be able to make a real good trout reef in Donner Lake.....just kidding of course

 

Making some progress on this axle but have hit a stopping point.

I sourced a new Omix right side (short) axle shaft with Spicer U joints to replace the worn Bendix that was in when I got it years ago. Can’t quite get it to bolt up right - it won’t go all the way into the side gears in the diff.

I removed the Stepped brass bushing from the Bendix axle shaft, leaving just the bare tube. And the bushings that were pressed in the spindles originally did not have flanges. I removed and replaced with new bushings with flanges.

the issue is that when I put the spindle on, it won’t seat flush against the knuckle. It looks like the way the shoulder was machined on the Omix axle it’s too proud to fit correctly. The Crown one that KW sells looks different:

Front Axle Shaft Assembly for Passenger Side (RH) Fits 41-71 CJ/MB/GPW/M38/M38-A1 with Dana 25

What to do? Do I try to chuck the Omix axle in a lathe and remove material from the joint end so it can insert farther into the side gears? Or do I chuck the spindle up and turn off the lip from the new bushing? Or should I return it (thanks Jeff Bezos!) and try and see if the Crown one fits better? The Omix one had the wrong size U Joint anyway.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

You could be a victim of Omix .
Try another axle (used from JW) or other Spicer axle.
You sure the spindle isn't hanging up on the spindle bolts; it will go on all the way
without the axle in place ?

 

The spindle fit flush without the axle when I did a dry fit...now though the bolts are a tricky one with regards to taking the spindle on/off.

I went with Moses Ludels button head modification from his book, and I’m reluctant to tap (bang) the spindle on/off a lot cause despite my best efforts on the Bridgeport, the button head shafts aren’t 100% perpendicular from the knuckle...and I’d hate to damage the threads.

I think this Omix axle is indeed going back, which means I get to have more fun removing the U joint....

 

Did you not buy the axle as an assembly ?

See if you can locate a used axle in your area, D25 and D27 CJ are the same with Spicer U-joint.

 

it came in a box in three pieces and the u joint that came with it was the wrong size so I had to get one from Napa.

Maybe I’ll take a drive to JW this week and dig around.

 

Way too expensive but...

Dana 25 Front Axle Willys - auto parts - by owner - vehicle...

 

You look to only be .001 off on your pinion depth. I would reuse the shim pack that came out of the housing you are planning on using.

I like to use Prussian blue mixed with zink oxide. I find it gives good contrast and helps (me) see the wipe better.

Not sure what your future plans are, but if you are interested in a traction device, it might be a good time to think about a Powr Lok install.

Insure you inspect/replace the inner axle seals while you have the carrier out.

Insure your carrier bearing caps go back on the same journal and in the same orientation. The journals are line bored and getting the caps mixed up can cause issues.

Do yourself a favor and rent one of these. This puller will make pinion and carrier bearing a piece of cake.

 

Great advice thanks! I actually have made some progress and have been collecting some photos but I’ve been stuck at a pesky step - can’t get the new Crown RH axle shaft to slide fully in and mate with the side gears in the differential. JW wants $120 for a used axle and it’s a three hour drive There and back so I went with a new one from Summit (which of course came with the wrong u-joint At first....)

The raised splines Are 0.063” about an 0.5” down the shaft, but they are 0.071” at the end.

Looking for some pointers / advice on what I can do to ease it in.

File? Emery cloth? Leave it in the chest freezer overnight?