Tacoma SAS Part One: Dana 44 Rebuild

If your renting the Slide Hammer, get at removing the spindle bearings before returning it. Below shows the bearing within the spindle that needs to be replaced....


To extract it, set the spindle on the ground (with cardboard so you dont damage the threads) with the base (side with the bearing) facing up. Sit in a chair and put the teeth of the slide hammer within the spindle just far enough to catch the underside of the bearing. Put your feet on the base of the spindle to hold it down and tap the bearing out with the slide hammer. Sorry I dont have picture of this, it required two hands.
Note the depth of the bearing within the spindle before removing it to use as a refrence when you press a new bearing back in!

With the bearings free you can return the slide hammer and rent a "Bearing and Seal Driver Set" (if you dont already have one of course) and pick up your new spindle bearings (Part # SBK1).

Set the new bearing on the spindle and place the correct driver size on the bearing. After making sure the bearing isnt going in crooked, tap the bearing back, hitting the top of the driver puch with a rubber mallet.

After replacing both bearings, apply some high temperature grease within the spindle and bearings. Bag off the ends of the spindle to protect the threads and keep the inside clean while set aside.

 

There are more bearings within the hub assembly that should be replaced or re-packed as well. One of the bearings can be easliy extracted from the front of the hub.

If your going to have your rotors machined (which you definitly should do so you have a smooth braking surface), make sure you do it before putting a new seal on your hub assembly! The shop had to remove my back wheel bearing seal I put on to get the hub on the lathe. So then I had to get another seal!


To remove the wheel bearing in the back of the hub assembly, you are going to have to remove the outer seal retaining it. Take a hammer and chisel and hit the edges of the seal, bending it inwards so you can pull it out.


Then extract the other wheel bearing...


Clean off all of the wheel bearings and inspect them. If they seem good, I think it's safe to say you can just re-pack them. I chose to just clean and re-pack my bearings. I used a rag and ran it across the bearing rollers along with degreaser to get rid of the old rusty grease. Once clean, I packed the bearing with new high heat grease.


Before putting the bearings back in, try to clean out the hub the best you can. Then cake the inside with grease.


Then set the larger "backside" wheel bearings back into the hub (put them the correct way!) Tap the new seals (Timken Bearing Seal Part #471271) back into position using a hammer.


The front wheel bearings can be placed back into the front of the hub; again using plastic bags and rubber bands to seal off the hub at both ends to keep it clean.

 

Should have used spindle bearing eliminator bushings rather than putting spindle bearings in again. If you actually use this thing for its intended purpose once swapped you will be replacing those...a lot.

 

That sounds like a good thing to look into before I put the whole axle back together. I never heard of those before.

 

Longfield and ECGS sell them. Give chase a call and he will get you squared away.

 

At this point I got a passanger side GM flat top knuckle from Ebay for $125. Before sending the knuckle back out to get machined flat, I had to remove the ball joints.

So I picked up a 12 ton shop press from Harbor Freight for about $100 with a coupon. The ball joints were a bit scary too press out with this thing. Use some heat and PB Blaster if there are as rusty as mine were.
Remember to remove the snap ring on the lower ball joint first. Just take a hammer and a flat head screw driver and tap it off.


To remove the top ball joint, I used a socket to give me some extra reach....probably not the best thing to do but it worked.


After pressing out the ball joints from both knuckles, I sent the flat top knuckle to WFO Concepts to be machined flat. If you purchase a steering product too then they charge you $50 for the machining service. So I purchased a Cross Over Steer Arm, 2" tall, that includes hardware and Drag Link taper for $134.99.
http://www.wfoconcepts.com/Default.aspx

I decided to go with cross over steering instead of the high steer set up. I just couldn't afford another flat top knuckle and steer arm. Eventually I will probably switch over to high steer but for now cross over will have to do....

 

To remove the u-joints from the axle shaft, first tap out the little snap rings using a hammer and a flat head screw driver.



With the snap rings removed, I found that the best way to remove rusted up u-joints was to soak them with PB Blaster and set one axle shaft on a board or a block of wood. Then with a hammer, pound the other end of the axle shaft to drive out one of the four caps retaining the u-joint. Then turn it and do the same on the other side. With two caps removed, you can seperate the axle shafts.




To remove the u-joint remaining within one of the axle shafts, press the axle shaft down while the u-joint ends rest on the two metal plates of the press. This pushes and axle shaft down forcing another u-joint cap out. Do this to both side and you can then remove the u-joint with both caps out.


This may not be the best way to do it but they were so badly rusted in there, I was'nt sure what else to do.

If anyone else knows of better ways to do something, during any part of this project, please keep me posted.

Again, I never really worked on anything like this before so your input helps me out alot!

 

I began cleaning up all of the parts, starting with the hubs, using a wire wheel and sander to remove all the rust. After that I wiped them down with rubbing alcohol and brushed on a thick coat of paint.





I also cleaned up the differential cover and replaced the bolts with new 5/16 18x3 3/4" Stainless Steel hex bolts and 5/16 washers. Removing the drain plug just requires the square end of a 1/2"drive socket wrench. I just let the rusted up drain plug sit in a cup of coke over night and it came out like new.

 

Yeah you will want to replace that diff cover with something more substantial too. First rock you bump that thing into will make it kiss your ring gear and go kaboom. Check out ruffstuffspecialties.com or ballisticfabrication.com for a nice plate diff cover. Tinfoil is for the kitchen, lol.

 

Definitely! I just saw these online and I think I'm going to go this route. Their a little cheaper then buying a new diff cover. The one from Bad Apple Fab is only $55 and the tubular one from Quadratec is about $70. I'm loving the look of the tubular one.

http://badapplefab.com/



http://www.quadratec.com/category/Jeep+Differential+&+Axle+Protection/22/

 

Sub'd for when i tear my axle apart and build it, +1 for the writeups, BTW i like the 2nd diff cover design as well.

 

Once I got the knuckle back from WFO Concepts, I sanded both knuckles down and covered them in paint.

I also was able to press in the new ball joints I got from Drivetrain America (Part #706116X Spicer- upper/lower kit). http://www.drivetrainamerica.com/c-64-axle.aspx

I was told spicer makes a pretty good ball joint, but if you have the money it seems that you should go with "Moog" balls joints instead. There about double the price but you get what you pay for. Maybe someday...

Start by pressing the bottom one in first. Your going to need a large impact socket to fit over the bolt of the ball joint while pressing them in.
Remember that the ball joint with the hole in the top of the bolt is the upper ball joint. Thats where you put the cotter pin back in.

Make sure to line it up straight before you start pressing.



Then press in the top one...



Don't forget the snap ring that goes on the bottom ball joint!



Bolted on the steer arm from WFO concepts

 

seriously - it's like watching porn.

I've been looking for a good deal on a gm passenger flat top for a while now.

 

Yeah, this project could go a lot quicker but it takes a long time if your searching for a good deal on all the parts...which is what I have been doing.
I've been looking at ebay and craigslist every day!

 

Santa helped me out too...

Since I want to completly finish the axle first I got an adapter FLANGE (26 Spline to Toyota) that allows you to bolt on a toyota drive shaft to the Dana 44 (Part # 1B-3051A).
I also got the pinion nut (#DAN30185) and washer (#DAN30186).

Santa must have got it from http://www.partsmike.com/index.php?crn=219



I also got Warn Premium Locking Hubs (20990)

 

I would like to know what some of you think about brake options.

After looking at previous builds, I just picked up some OEM Jeep J10 calipers that bolt right up to the stock brake brackets. I know that I'm going to be needing an adapter for the brake lines and upgrade the master cylinder, but has anyone else used these before? I'm thinking about running 36 or 37" tires.

I just got some duralast brake pads too.

 

I plan on running the same wan rubs - i haven't thought much about the drivelines.

For some reason, i've just thought i'd get new 1 piece drivelines made front/rear.

How else are people with taco sas doing it?? What are some options?

 

Heres a shot of all the parts so far...

 

When I put the Waggy axle in my last Tacoma, I used Jeep Grand Wagoneer calipers and the off-the-shelf extended Pro Comp brake lines bolted right up with no modifications needed. Not sure about J10 calipers. I also used the stock master cylinder and could lock 37's up on the freeway.

 

Thanks, thats good to know, I'm sure Grand Wagoneer and J10 brake calipers are nearly the same. Maybe I won't even need to upgrade the master cylinder at all.