Dana 44 front axle needs a rebuild - Help please

[65malibu]

Hey guys. I'm pretty sure i have a broken ring/pinion in the front axle of my 1972 Blazer. I have no idea what exact parts i will need in order to replace the r/p. do i need to replace all seals inner and outer on the axle shafts, etc. Any help and more importantly any part numbers anybody can provide me, the better off i would be.

Here is a pic of my axle. Please correct me if i am wrong, but this is a Dana 44 10bolt with an 8.5" gear correct?

[65malibu]

Is this what i should be looking for?

http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-126...it-master.html

If so, what else besides the actual ring and pinion?

Thanks,

[jbclassix]

What makes you think it is a broken pinion?

[coops714x4]

Yes that is the right rebuild kit, less the ring and pinion. 1st let me tell you tollerances are critical, have you ever rebuilt a diff. before? there is a little more to it than just changing parts.

[65malibu]

@JB

I jacked the blazer up and took off all tires. I then cycled through 2wd and the 4wd. Once i had it in 4wd the pinion wobbled pretty bad and i can hear some broken pieces in there. could be a number of things, spider gears, ring and pinion, etc. I have no idea until i tear it apart. When it was in 4wd and i locked the hubs, the passenger side turned slower than the driver side. is that normal? or could that mean it is the spider gears or something like that?

Thanks

[maxwoof]

Posted via Mobile Device

[Lower]

You need to pull the cover off and see whats going on first, could just be the pinion bearing went down. If you are going to rebuild it I would suggest going from hub to hub, if you dont you will probably be kicking yourself for not doing it.

[65malibu]

@lower

what exactly do you mean when you say do everything from hub to hub?

would a master rebuild kit cover the "hub to hub" as you are suggesting?

[jbclassix]

I would definitely pull the diff cover off first and see whats going on. Yes, it is normal for one tire to spin slower than the other side. That is what the differential does. I would examine the pinion bearings first. In 4wd, the front pinion spins on counter-clock-wise and can loosen the pinion nut after a while the bearing will loose its pre-load. If you catch it soon enough it can be fixed at minimum cost and not require a rebuild.

[65malibu]

Pulled the Dif cover off yesterday.......and i had two broken ring gear teeth staring right back at me. No idea what other damage is done, but i know I'll at least be replacing a ring and pinion! Sheesh. Will update with more once i get the axle out from under the blazer and pull the rest of the guts out of it.