Dana 44 gearing question

[Montanaphilly]

What's up guys , in need of some advice, here's my situation :
I have a Dana 44 narrow track on a CJ5 , with an lsd dif, I need 4.10 "THICK" gears to make them adapt to my 3.73 and up carrier....
My first question would be , can I use ANY Dana 44 (4.10 thick gear), and pinion I find, like from newer jeeps? Or CJ5 specific?
And my second question would be, is swapping out rear end gears, easy to do? What tools are needed? Any tips and tricks?

Thankyou in advance

 

[Hedgehog]

Regearing is no fun and not easy. It's also very expensive to have done professionally.

 

[Peanut Butter]

To swap out a set of gears is not something to just try for the first time unless you have a coach right there with you. You can run into a lot of expensive problems if not done right. There are a few guys on here that know and have swapped gears for a long time, I'm sure they will chime in. As for the gears I'll let them answer that, but I'm guessing any Dana 44 will work, unless it's a high pinion or something like that. Good luck with your endeavor. Sounds like a step in the right direction for an awesome 4x4.

 

[Montanaphilly]

Thanks for the replies guys , Money Is what I'm short on ,I have no other choice than to learn it for my self, and add it to the tally marks above the work bench......as far as measuring tools go , is it anything like setting the end play on a motor, What does adjusting backlash consist of ? , I figure everyone starts right where I'm at with these gears , some have the money..... I just have the willingness to learn, that's about all I have in my pocket

 

[BajaEdition]

as stated, gearing is not for beginners, you find that out first time you do not get the setup of the gears done right and they fail real quick. you have to get them riding and contacting just so.
My answer is you need gears for that carrier,
another thing is buying used gears is buying problems, how have they wore, are they stressed or cracked, (many cracks you cannot see) you have to get the gear contact exactly how they were or there will be a ton of wear as they fit into each other.
best bet is to fin some shop who loves CJs, they usually are the most cost effective with mechanics that do it right. The fastfood style 4x4 places usually have some teenager who is their "expert"

 

[BajaEdition]

ps, I think the name is Moses Lund, he did a CJ rebuilder's book that has a chapter about rebuilding a Diff.

 

[Hedgehog]

Like you, I have a lot of will and little money to waste.

You will need access to a couple specialized and expensive tools. An end play dial indicator, not terribly expensive at Harbor Freight and a decent clam shell gear puller, these things are expensive, but a great tool. There are other pullers, but most will play havoc with your bearings, frequently ruining them.

It would be nice to have a bearing press as well. I don't use a bearing press, I use a big hammer with a driver that fits properly. I use a home made driver made from the inside race of an old bearing welded to a capped pipe. The pipe allows a place to hit with a hammer.

I have also found a set of bearing race setting tools to be very useful.

You will also need a caliper to measure your shims. Oh yeah, you will need a bunch of the right size shims to choose from.

I'm sure there are other tools I haven't thought of yet.
To start, you will need to completely remove the axle you want to work on.

 

[bzahler]

you can rent the bearing puller from East cost grear for $100. you still need a micrometer and dial indicator for mesuring. It depends on what kind of work you feel comfortable do your self, if you struggle to change spark plugs and set your timming you probly won't be able to set up gears that will last like they should.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

I say the following hav'n set up more than a few R&P's in my life..........
You would be far better off watching someone setting up the gear set BEFORE jump'n into it by yourself. It is very detailed, and precise work.
The biggest learning 'curve', is how to read a gear pattern on both the drive side and coast side of the ring gear. Along with setting pinion and carrier bearing preload.
You would be $$$$ ahead to let a pro do it for just 1 or 2 gear sets, compared to the damage that could be done from not do'n it right.
Respectfully,

LG

 

[hagar]

Why is there never enough time and money to do the job right the first time, but plenty of time and money to do it over again later...in some cases again and again?

 

[duffer]

My first question would be , can I use ANY Dana 44 (4.10 thick gear), and pinion I find, like from newer jeeps?

Unfortunately, the answer to that is NO. The "new gen" version (used in the JK's) of the Dana 44 is different and the gear sets do not interchange.

Some of the differences are shown on Dynatrac's site.
http://www.dynatrac.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/New_Gen_D44_comparison_chart.pdf

And yes, it takes a little practice and the right tools to set up Dana axles. Frankly, the are a real pain in the posterior compared to some others like a Ford 9".

 

[Montanaphilly]

I'm familiar with using bearing pullers , and measuring tools as described, and checking tolerances , not looking for the take it to a shop answer. If you take it to a shop, or pay a professional , how do you ever learn to do it yourself ? Changing a sparkplug isnt even for for beginers, but everyone starts somewhere , I'm sure there are plenty of people who did it for there first time correctly and made it work just fine, I'm willing to take my time and be patient. If I had the financial means to do it "the right way" I would have had a jeep ready for the rubicon a long time ago , unfortunately I live check to check , maybe later on down the line , I'll be the one getting payed to do it , knollege makes you money instead of spending it. Thanks for the advice of the tools needed , I'll look into all this more

 

[Lumpy Grits]

You will need a dial indicator that reads to .001 with a magnetic base. Also a 0-1" micrometer, along with in/lb and ft/lb torque wrenches('clickers' are what I use).
Gear sets can be bought with 'install kits'(bearings, shims, seals etc). I do not like using 'crush-sleeves'. I will make a solid spacer and then shim to spec. on the pinion. Read the pattern in at least 3 places on the ring gear.
I will say you will be better off to do what you can to at least watch a few R&P changes(in person)before you attempt doing it yourownself.
I say that with over 50 yrs experience do R&P work.........
I have bought from these folks for decades. They know of what they sell.
https://www.ringpinion.com/

Good luck and keep us updated.
LG

 

[Hedgehog]

The bearing puller I'm referring to isn't just any bearing puller, this is the type I'm referring to:

https://jet.com/product/detail/f7d0...643842_pla-161599248780:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15

There are less expensive models @$250, they have fewer clam shell sizes, but will work on a Dana 44 . Why such an expensive puller? These pullers are much easier on the bearings. When setting up a gear set you will pull the bearings many times, with the cost of bearings these days it quickly gets expensive replacing them. .... yes you can make a set of set-up bearings, but bearings aren't all the same size. Set-up bearings will get you close, but you need to use your running bearings for final set-up.