• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Need some help reading the pinion depth on this gear

vintage chromoly

Well-Known Member
Local time
12:00 AM
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
2,185
Reaction score
4,067
Location
ohio
hello all.
Dana spicer Dana 60 gears.
Brand new. Can anyone decipher the engraved pinion depth markings?

Thanks guys!

44AAD7EC-C4A9-4C53-9FB0-00DE571926E7.jpeg 6E8D9433-23B4-435D-8083-388701CE4036.jpeg 08771B31-DD0F-4084-B8B9-77508C7B4859.jpeg
 
Factory Dana gears don't have pinion depth on them. It's some in house code for what thickness shim it needs. Start with whatever shim was in the rear end at disassembly.
 
I got the housing all taken apart.
I’m starting with brand new Dana spicer gears.
The pic is of the pinion as it came from Dana spicer.
 
What pinion shim is in it now? .035-.040"? Try it 1st, then go by pattern. Only true way to get it right.
Doug
 
There is no shim in it now.
I bought the housing empty and the gears are new.
 
End looks rounded kinda hard to use the dial indicator on it. I agree checking patterns is the only way now. Get some “checking bearings” for ease in setting up. IMO sell what u have buy some with numbers and be done in no time.
 
The gears are brand new Dana spicer gears. Not looking to get rid of those.

The shims go behind the bearing race, not behind the tapered bearing on the pinion shaft.

I do have a set up bearing for pinion preload, when the time comes.
 
Another way is to use what's called mounting distance.....
 
Like I stated most pinion cup shims I've used are .035-.040". I polish the front of the pinion so the front pinion bearing can be removed without beating on the pinion to remove it. Hav ed a spare pair of side bearings honed for slip fit.
Doug
 
Isn’t that what the pinion depth gauge and the etched numbers on the pinion gear are for?
Nope....not on that one....you measure the thickness of the pinion gear head and subtract that from the mounting distance. The mounting distance for a Dana 60 is 5.000". If the gear head is say 1.875, your desired pinion depth will be 3.125" . That's a common depth setting for a 60. Are you using a pinion depth checking indicator? If you are, you could start at 3.125 and check the pattern.
 
Thanks for all the help fellas!
Much appreciated.

I have a pinion depth tool.

When I set up my 742 8.75, I used existing pinion shim thickness to start and the pattern to Check my results.

On this Dana I have no existing shins to reference, so I was going to try the depth tool.
 
Like I stated most pinion cup shims I've used are .035-.040". I polish the front of the pinion so the front pinion bearing can be removed without beating on the pinion to remove it. Hav ed a spare pair of side bearings honed for slip fit.
Doug
Thanks Doug.
I sand paper rolled an old pinion bearing so I can pull it off when setting the preload and depth
 
Just went through this. Those numbers on the pinion don’t do much for you. My pinion was rounded off and not flat enough to use my pinion depth tool. I don’t think they are used for that anyway. If my memory serves me right, the Shim’s are under the bearing race on a Dana 60 and the pinion bearing is pressed on without shims.
 
My Dana 70 threw me a curve. I put the original shim pack in a 'safe' place then forgot where that safe place was so started with .030 but that was way off. After getting up to .075 and scratching my foot wondering WTH (what the hay), I found the original shims safely sitting in the box the new gears came in. They were .215"! Was thinking what am I doing wrong or are the gears right for this rear end? First time to do a 70. And my set up tool doesn't work with this housing so ended up using a regular depth mic and that's kind of a crude way to do it. The gears have a faint whine at 60 mph and it goes away about at about 65.....time will tell if they're going to last but if don't, it won't be me doing them again.
 
The pinion shims do go behind the race on the Dana 60.

I haven’t completed this project yet, but I’m going to start with the same shims that I pulled out (.045 behind the race. I was thinking I didn’t have an existing shim set for reference because I didn’t get the large pinion bearing with the stuff I bought, but I did because they are behind the race)

Thanks for all the help fellas
 
The pinion shims do go behind the race on the Dana 60.

I haven’t completed this project yet, but I’m going to start with the same shims that I pulled out (.045 behind the race. I was thinking I didn’t have an existing shim set for reference because I didn’t get the large pinion bearing with the stuff I bought, but I did because they are behind the race)

Thanks for all the help fellas
You can put the shims behind the pinion bearing or behind the race. Sometimes I'll start with the shims behind the race since it's easier to grind the race down a bit for a trial fit than it is to hone the bearing cone (races are cheaper too) then once I hit the depth, I'll remove the shims from behind the race and install the same thickness behind the cone...
 
And then install a new race. :D I'm not a big fan of polishing down the fits to make a slip fit as I like my bearings to be at least .0005-.001 tight. If they have to be removed, .001 isn't too bad to pull off. Had a factory pinion bearing that was .005 tight one time and man.....no way to pull that off without damaging stuff.
 
I made 2 carrier bearing “setup” bearings by sandpaper rolling them.
I also made a pinion preload “setup” bearing the same way.

I still have to make a “setup” large pinion bearing race.

How did you grind / polish the race Cranky? Lathe or another method?
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top