NEED IMEDIATE HELP!!!

My only vehicle is down and i need it! I have a dana 30 with lincoln locker. Decided to switch back to the standard carrier. So i bought one with 3.73 gears and mine are 4.10. Put the ring gear on the 3.73 carrier (new one) and its to wide for my housing. My question is is it possible to get the bearings off to take some shims out? and how would i do it? Ive got a vice and torch and other stuff. PLEASE HELP

Gawd. Can we say "extremely bad idea?" Since it's the front axle, the easiest thing to do is just pull the front driveshaft and/or the spider gears, and fix it later. This is so half-assed as to barely be worth discussion - and such a bad idea that I can't even consider this a "trail fix" to get myself back to a paved road!

Without doing a full setup on gears, you're asking for a failure. And, I'm somehow willing to bet that you're straddling the carrier break for the D30 - which would be why you had trouble getting it to fit in the first place.

"A vice and torch and other stuff" is nowhere near the equipment you'd need to set gears up properly - and if you aren't going to set them up properly, you'd be better off pulling the carrier and sticking it in the back of your truck. Period. Full Stop.

Endeth the Sermon.

5-90

Do you know how to set up gears?

Cause thats what your going to have to do.

when you remove shims for the D30, it will affect the backlash. I'm aware that you need your vehicle but why are you doing the switch? Whats the reason why its down?

Unless you know how to re-gear an axle, and have the tools to do it, then yes, you can remove the shims. IF not, then NO!

Dont do that, that would be very bad...

Expect to pay between 250-500 Dollars for a professional to install the 3.73's for you.

I know it sucks, but gears arent cheap by any means.

Good luck!

You can always grind & chisel the welds out of your other carrier.

Rob $.02

Why not just remove the short shaft (leave the outer) until you can get new carrier and gears properly installed. Don't forget to stuff a rag in the axle tube opening.

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

Why does something tell me that messages #2-6 were completely ignored??

WHY, I repeat WHY do you say the vehicle was down? What does 'down' constitute that can be fixed by half-azzed gear install in the front axle?

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

That's some good tech info right there. :idea:

Stop.

Remove the driveshaft.

Now take the axle shafts and remove the U-Joints.

Bolt the outer axle shafts only to the unit bearing (the 36mm stocket and the stub are what holds that bearing together). Now your Jeep is driveable.

Make an appointment with somebody that knows how to set up gears and get them set up. Use new bearings (and races) since you have now killed those bearings.

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

ROFLMAO.......we should make this a sticky.........that's some of the best tech info i've heard in a long time. speaking of that.....i'm currently building a junkyard stroker for my jeep and i found some nice big pistons at a junkyard. they don't quite fit though, so could i just grind those down a little bit until they fit in the hole???

as long as they fit right ?? :dunno:

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

wow.....just wow! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

Holy Cow!! Okay, I'm Shocked again...:shiver:

so, was the pinion changed? I cant wait to see the post...IMEDIATE HELP, MY FRONT END EXPLODED....

Ludakris said:

so, was the pinion changed? I cant wait to see the post...IMEDIATE HELP, MY FRONT END EXPLODED....

Click to expand...

a few more kicks and it would be good as new

centralmax said:

I figured it out... all i had to do was grind down the outer edge of the bearings and kick it into my diff housing. works great, I highly suggest it

Click to expand...

ok, now on a serious note.......read posts #2-6, and pick one of those options to handle your temporary lincoln locker removal.

you can't just take a carrier, put some gears on it and throw them together and hope it's all good. it's not like lining up 5 lug studs with the 5 holes in the wheels.

to properly install gears, you need to have the correct preload on the carrier bearings, the proper backlash between the pinion and ring gear, and the correct contact pattern. if you don't set it up properly, you'll end up grinding/breaking the teeth off, trash the bearings, destroy the carrier, and possibly crack/break the differential housing and then you'll need a whole new axle.

not to mention that if that catastrophic failure happens while you are driving down the highway, your front end would suddenly stop all rotational momentum, and you'll be going for a fun ride (meant with lots of sarcasm), and cause a major accident.

please take it back out and have somebody help you set it up properly.

...

this is your frontend as you are drivig down the road, now quit being a dumbass, not for your sake but for the people that will be involved in your ensuing car wreck

scorpio_vette said:

ROFLMAO.......we should make this a sticky.........that's some of the best tech info i've heard in a long time. speaking of that.....i'm currently building a junkyard stroker for my jeep and i found some nice big pistons at a junkyard. they don't quite fit though, so could i just grind those down a little bit until they fit in the hole???

Click to expand...

If they are just slightly too big you could probably get them in if you leave the rings off. I'd suggest coating them with a little RTV first though.