Axle rebuild tools

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Im working on ordering the parts for building a new axle for my CVLX. I have an empty housing right now. Im going to build it with 4.10s, a T-2R Torsen, and 31-spline shafts.
Im wanting to do the build myself, but I dont have the tools. My biggest problem is the pinion depth measurement.
Any suggestions?
 
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Have it done by a professional who will warranty his work. I've made my living with wrenches and I would not feel comfortable re-building a rear end, especially one that going to have as much money in it as yours. This, in my opinion is a job best left to someone who has successfully rebuilt MANY rear ends.

But, if you are dead set on doing it yourself you should purchase a good dial indicator with a magnetic base and a good inch-pound torque wrench.
 
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I'm not familiar with Ford rears, mainly GM. Having said that, I assume the tools needed will be generally common:

Multiple torque wrenches ranging from in-lbs to 150 ft-lbs or so
Dial indicator w/magnetic base
Bearing race & seal driver set
Press for carrier bearings
Vise to hold carrier while installing ring gear

I'm sure there's others I've missed.

I agree with the poster above. Take your housing to a pro; especially if you're messing with the pinion. I've done them before, and they are tedious & easy to not get right. I'll work on the entire rear end of any GM axle save the pinion.
 
I know a few people who went out and bought the tools and did it themselves. Took much longer than a shop, but the rear ends never grenaded.
 
It really ain't that difficult to do. I have never done the the type of rear end your dealing with. But it is pretty universal. It might be a good idea to maybe have a shop mount and adjust the pinion in the housing. The rest of it is really not that difficult. Ofcourse you will need a micrometer on a magnet foot. And make sure you have some heat when you shall mount the ringwheel bearings.
 
Get a crush sleeve eliminator kit. In the future, you'll be able to change the pinion seal without messing up the bearing preload.
 
Does this car have limited slip from the factory? If it does, now would be a good time to rebuild it, and if it doesn't have LS, it may be smart to add it now because you are increasing torque significantly.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
Does this car have limited slip from the factory? If it does, now would be a good time to rebuild it, and if it doesn't have LS, it may be smart to add it now because you are increasing torque significantly.


He is adding a Torsen T2R. Should be a nice setup in a Panther.
 
My main qualm about having someone do it is exactly because of how much is going into the axle.
I'd hate to smoke a $800 Torsen. I bet a lot of people who would warranty their work would throw fits about that kinda money.
I have a empty axle housing so I can take my time and build it right.
Then I just drop my current axle out and in goes this one. The car won't be on stands for longer than a couple hours.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal


That being said, our tech has and will only use the Rotunda one for an 8.8


Easily the best tool to set up gearsets. Used that gauge tube/pinion depth set for more than a hundred 8.8 and 7.5" diffs, and never a problem, at least related to pinion depth. Horrendously expensive to have the whole set. My old dealership went out of business recently, too bad it was 12 years after I left there or I might have had a gauge set cheap.

Random stuff- The main thing the pinion shim compensates for is machining variance in the axle housing. FoMoCo gearsets, and rear bearings/races are always (in my experience) machined to a very fine tolerance regarding pinion depth. Long story short, using Ford gearsets, the depth shim that came out with the old pinion, is generally really close to what you need to get the right contact pattern. No experience with aftermarket depth gauge sets.

You will need a decent dial indicator to ck backlash, as well as an assortment of side shims. OEM side shims- use either a brass or plastic hammer to "tap" them in as a steel head hammer will shatter them like glass.

Torque wrench- the easiest way to torque a pinion nut is to use a small dial indicator torque wrench (inch/lbs) to set up rotational torque. After the first few sets of gears, I never even bothered with a big torque wrench on the pinion nut. I used an impact, snugged the pinion nut up until there was no play in the pinion, then switched to the little torque wrench with the dial indicator and checked the "drag" Something like 18 to 20 inch/lbs with new bearings lightly lubed. Bump the pinion nut with your impact and check it repeatedly with your torque wrench to sneak up on the proper rotational torque/drag, and you are good to go. All of the above assumes a NEW crush sleeve.

People are afraid of setting up diffs......voodoo! I get it. It is a PITA when you get one together and it whines, happened to me on a GM 10 bolt in a van. Lesson- don't set up another OEMs diff the way you set up a Ford Diff. Except for the smell of gear lube, I never had problems in the shop. Some diffs require a "case spreader" which is another consideration. Take your time, double check your work, be sure to put drag on the ring gear when checking your pattern (don't forget the coast side). Zinc heatsink grease will work for marking compound.
 
I tried to find the specific tools that are needed out of the Rotunda set to set up JUST a 8.8 and came up dry. Lots of other random pieces from the set, but none of those.
I had planned on getting those other tools as well.
 
FoMoCo Rotunda Parts to set up pinion depth on 8.8-
(T79P-4020-A)9
(T79P-4020-A)11
(T79P-4020-A)3
(T79P-4020-A)18
(T79P-4020-A)10
(T79P-4020-A)19

God awful expensive. You might look around for the whole kit T79P-4020-A, but even then prices are insane. A few years ago when Mercury went belly up, a few of these kits were floating around on Ebay and elsewhere.
 
I used to change gear sets in my 1965 Mustang GT, some 50 years ago. The stumbling block for me was a torque wrench, that I could afford, to measure bearing preload. I got over that hurdle by using a known weight at a measured distance and then calculating the torque. That worked fine. Go ahead and set up the new gears yourself, just take your time.
 
AFAIK all pinions are marked for depth, simply take the old number , add to or subtract from the new number, and shim accordingly between the rear pinion bearing and gear.
 
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It begins.
axleparts.jpg

Not pictured, but I also have a Metco DS Loop.
 
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Originally Posted By: asand1
Just use the thickness of shims stamped on the new pinion then.

Ford OE and Racing gears don't have pinion depth stamped on the head.

I pretty much decided this morning Im just going to rebuild the axle already in the car. So, Ill have to take it out of service again.
Main reason is I feel more comfortable assembling it after Ive taken it apart and seen how it all goes.
 
Is that the Torsen that came in FX4 Level II Rangers? Nice setup.

Good luck with it. Diffs are one thing I avoid actually wrenching on. If my truck ever eats its 7.5 (highly unlikely), it will get a full disc brake 8.8 out of an '11 Ranger or an Explorer.
 
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