Differential Stuff

[Terry, NJ]

Finally came to a decision about rear gears! I'm gonna buy a set of 3.54s and the bearings (OUCH!) at $38 @ ($160) cups, $25 ($50) 2 sided cup, $51 gears, $465 assorted little stuff $25. And then drive myself nuts assembling this collection of stuff. Inch Lbs are not a problem. Figuring out what gets torqued 20 In lbs is. If it's those two big nuts on the pinion, it may be! Is that the preload on the bearing? Or is the 20 in. lbs the torque on the locknuts. It seems like it would be the preload on the bearing, but these parts are too expen$ive to be guessing wrong. Then, How do you measure inch lbs on a nut that big? Or do you just guess? (Two ft lbs?) Stay tuned, more to come!
Terry

[Mitch]

The easiest thing to do is print out Tom Endy's differential rebuild article.

http://www.santaanitaas.org/technical-reference/tom-endys-tech-articles/

FWIW
I can do these rear's mainly by feel, since the preloads are so little.

[tbirdtbird]

"The easiest thing to do is print out Tom Endy's differential rebuild article"

It is also the ONLY thing to do. The 20 in-lbs is not the big nuts, it is the bearing preload

Go here, and be sure to read ALL his diff articles, each one has additional info and additional pix.
I found it far easier to just have them printed out

http://www.santaanitaas.org/technical-reference/tom-endys-tech-articles/

while you are ordering the bearing supplies, be sure to get 2 of the big thin wrenches you will need for the big nuts.
There is no cheap way out of this

[BNCHIEF]

The big nuts set the preload and follow t-birds advice you can't go wrong.

[BNCHIEF]

I can do them by feel as well but a torque wrench that reads in inch pounds will help you get there I was thinking it was 25" pounds but Tom Endy's artice is a great source.

[tbirdtbird]

even better, once you have the parts, haul everything along to Brent's workshop

[Mitch]

That's a great idea. I would like to see how Brent does them with his own hands

Do you think he wears gloves?

[BNCHIEF]

Might depend on how cold it will be.ing

[Mitch]

Curious Terry
How did you decide on going with the 3:54's over the 3:27?

[Dennis]

Best to get your bearings from Brattons IMHO. They have Timken and not some off brand no numbers no identification where they were made.

[Big hammer]

Just don’t get the preloads to tight!
Enjoy your overhaul, your on the right track with new parts :-)

[Tom Bellfoy]

Terry: Make sure you do a lot of research about setting the pinion properly to mesh with the ring gear, reason is I have been researching it and found that since the 3:27 and 3:54 are aftermarket, there is a good chance you may have to add shims to move the pinion back. I'm certainly not qualified enough to offer my opinion as I still consider myself a back yard mechanic, however at the cost of the conversion I suggest a lot of research. Currently I am waiting for my 3:27 gears to arrive. Currently I have my diff all torn apart and waiting for the aftermarket gears to arrive.

[JDupuis]

Been a few years since the last one I did. Have done 3. What I remember most time consuming was setting the back lash. Good luck. Jeff

[Mitch]

We have two different threads going with the same title. A little confusing