Need Tips on Swapping a Center Section

[67Satty]

The work will be done in my garage, no lift available. I have a floor jack and good jack stands.

Should I put the rear of the car up on jack stands, then use a floor jack to support the center section on its way down?

Any tips or advice for me? I don't relish the thought of 80 pounds of metal dropping on me as I'm laying under the car. Thanks!

 

[69 Runner]

I don't relish the thought of 80 pounds of metal dropping on me as I'm laying under the car. Thanks!

Ya bloody Pansie:rolling:

You'll maybe have a bit more room to work if you put the car on stands rather than the rear end. If you've got one of the small 3000# floor jacks (you know, the $39.00 ones) that will come in handy and will be easy to get under the car with you

 

[67GeeTeeX]

AN IDEA; a little more work, but much easier to do by yourself: Put car on stands forward of axle, just enough to take the weight off wheels. two bolts each side and release the leaf springs, two bolts for the shocks, two nuts for the brake lines, the u joint, and wheel the whole axle out the back of the car. (wheels still on). Then you have full access to do all your work and never have to deal with anything heavy while on your back. Just wheel it back under when you're done and attach the springs,lines and shocks. A little more time but an easy one man job. G'luck

 

[Meep-Meep]

You got the idea. Position the 3rd member flange over the center of the round jack plate. You may have to do some prying as the suds tend to fit tight against the sides of the holes sometimes, but a few good yanks and it should drop on the jack and hopefully not you.

Just a note of caution. If you are swapping over to a sure grip unit and you have the old 4 pinion clutch type, make sure the buttons for the axle thrust are in place - especially if this is a second hand swap meet unit. Look down the holes where the axles go and there should be a small round shiny faced plug thing tied together with a pin (and the pin is almost always broken so the buttons can fall out). If this is missing you will never get the axle end play correct. If memory serves the axle end play is 008" - .018".

 

[Donny]

I got to warn you, these are heavy pieces of metal, lots of density in it, and, it's very unwieldy and hard to grasp onto, esp covered in 90 weight slime!

 

[67Satty]

Just a note of caution. If you are swapping over to a sure grip unit and you have the old 4 pinion clutch type, make sure the buttons for the axle thrust are in place - especially if this is a second hand swap meet unit. Look down the holes where the axles go and there should be a small round shiny faced plug thing tied together with a pin (and the pin is almost always broken so the buttons can fall out). If this is missing you will never get the axle end play correct. If memory serves the axle end play is 008" - .018".

I'm not sure what I am looking for or at or what these look like. When I look down into the holes where the axles go, all I see is the splines for the end of the axles and then it looks like the splines butt up to a metal surface that has a hole the diameter of a thick pencil.

So does this mean my buttons are gone? If so, where do I get them and how do I put them in?

I remember now that the guy I bought the unit from was running green bearings in the car the unit came out of, do you get rid of the buttons when running green bearings?

 

[Meep-Meep]

From your description it sounds like you have a 4 pinion carrier and the buttons are gone. The button is about the size of a 3/8-16 bolt with a 9/16" head, except the head is round with a hole in the middle for the pin. I have a 3rd member missing them too and I will just make a set out of some grade 8 bolts.

I believe the "green" bearings are similar to the Ford setup, and if so, then the sealed deep groove ball bearing takes the thrust load in both directions (Fords don't have buttons or any kind of thrust stop for the axle). In this case you can run without the thrust buttons. Also, I'm pretty sure the green bearings don't have the same load carrying ability as the factory tapered roller type.

 

[jaak]

AN IDEA; a little more work, but much easier to do by yourself: Put car on stands forward of axle, just enough to take the weight off wheels. two bolts each side and release the leaf springs, two bolts for the shocks, two nuts for the brake lines, the u joint, and wheel the whole axle out the back of the car. (wheels still on). Then you have full access to do all your work and never have to deal with anything heavy while on your back. Just wheel it back under when you're done and attach the springs,lines and shocks. A little more time but an easy one man job. G'luck

I tend to agree, I haven't changed out a center section, but did remove my rearend to paint it, nothing to it.

Jason

 

[67Satty]

Yeah, I'm leaning toward doing the method where I just take the whole assembly out of the car.

jaak, is it hard to get the springs bolted back up again being that the car is lifted a little bit up in the air?

Meep-Meep, so it looks like I have a choice between finding some buttons, making some buttons or running the green bearings?

 

[jaak]

Yeah, I'm leaning toward doing the method where I just take the whole assembly out of the car.

jaak, is it hard to get the springs bolted back up again being that the car is lifted a little bit up in the air?

Meep-Meep, so it looks like I have a choice between finding some buttons, making some buttons or running the green bearings?

No problem reassembling. Just roll assembly back under car, bolt up front shackles first, then I think i had to put a jack under the rear end and jack it up a little to bolt up the rear of the springs.

Jason

 

[Meep-Meep]

Yeah, I'm leaning toward doing the method where I just take the whole assembly out of the car.

jaak, is it hard to get the springs bolted back up again being that the car is lifted a little bit up in the air?

Meep-Meep, so it looks like I have a choice between finding some buttons, making some buttons or running the green bearings?

I'd say yes. The Green bearings do away with the end play adjustment. If you need buttons I can make you a set when I make mine. I have a lathe and can turn some out fairly quick.

Use whatever method you feel most comfortable with, but I'd just drop the center section. If you're worried about the jack then have a buddy hold it steady while you pry it out of the case. Taking the whole rear end out means you will have to deal with the brake line and bleeding brakes after and parking brake cables. Just too much monkey motion for me.

 

[67Satty]

Thanks for the offer Meep-Meep. Before I saw your post I ended up calling up Dr. Diff and ordering some for 20 bucks.