Front 10 Bolt Teardown / Rebuild PICTURES!

[x ReAcT x]

Alright so now we are going to remove the pinion seal. This is a fairly easy task. All you will need is a punch/prybar and a mallet. Take the prybar and pull the seal out of the seat. Your pretty much going to destroy the seal. Beneath the seal is going to be your second pinion bearing. This was only kept in by the seal so you can now remove it by just reaching in and pulling it out. So next we will remove the inner axle shaft seals.

[x ReAcT x]

Alright so these are the last 2 seals on the axle. The 2 axle shaft seals are located on each side of the axle housing. These I wont be removing so i dont have any detailed pictures but they are taken out the same was as the pinion seal.

[x ReAcT x]

So the very last step to completely tear down this axle is going to be the removal of both of the pinion bearing races. We are going to start with the biggest one first. The FIRST and SECOND picture shows the race which is located right on the inside of the axle housing. To remove, grab your trusty punch and mallet and tap it from the back. In the FORTH picture we are looking through where the yoke sits and you will see that there is 2 exposed parts of the race, one on right and left, specifically designed for tapping it out. So get your punch and hit it from there. The FIFTH picture shows how to position your punch in the right hole to tap on the back of the race.

[x ReAcT x]

Now we are going to tap out the second bearing race which sits right behind the yoke seal [PICTURE 1]. Looking from inside the axle housing toward the yoke you can see this race has those 2 areas exposed just as the first one did [PICTURE 2]. Position your punch like this and it should come right out [PICTURE 3].

[x ReAcT x]

Alright well the entire axle is completely torn apart and all that is left is a big hunk of metal. Now i realize i didnt have any pictures of the pinion assembly so as an apology I arranged a "schematic" of the pinion assembly and labeled each seperate part with an assigned character. They are as follows:
A- Yoke retaining nut
B- Yoke
C- Yoke/ Pinion seal
D- Outer pinion bearing and race
E- Pinion crush sleave
F- Inner pinion bearing race
G- Inner pinion bearing
H- Pinion

[ERASER5]

Counting the cover bolts is a common misconception. Look at the ring gear. There are 10 bolts holding the ring gear in place. That makes it a 10 bolt. The GM12 bolt has 12 bolts on the ring gear. The 14 bolt like wise. Other rear ends are a toss up. BOP rears has some 10 bolts with 12 bolts on the cover. This made for some real disappointment.

[x ReAcT x]

Okay so now are are going to completely put this thing back together in reverse order. First things first, I need to sandblast everything and put a coat of paint on it. It should look brand new once everyting is done. I started with the easiest things first. The axle shaftsthat came with the surplus axle were pretty rusted so I hit them with sand and threw some high temp paint on them. I have never seen red before but i think it will make the black on the axle stick out more. Lets hope so

[x ReAcT x]

Counting the cover bolts is a common misconception. Look at the ring gear. There are 10 bolts holding the ring gear in place. That makes it a 10 bolt. The GM12 bolt has 12 bolts on the ring gear. The 14 bolt like wise. Other rear ends are a toss up. BOP rears has some 10 bolts with 12 bolts on the cover. This made for some real disappointment.

Thanks for the info, I had no idea, this whole time i was counting the bolts in the cover.

[x ReAcT x]

Can a moderator move this to the 1973 - 1987 Chevrolet & GMC Pickups Message Board. Most people dont use 10 bolts in the 4x4 section. Thanks in advance

[OLDCHEV4X4]

Originally Posted by x ReAcT x

Can a moderator move this to the 1973 - 1987 Chevrolet & GMC Pickups Message Board. Most people dont use 10 bolts in the 4x4 section. Thanks in advance

There are hundreds of 10 bolts in the 4x4 section..? I think this is the perfect spot for this thread.

[Mr. 250r]

I would say the 10 bolt and 44 are the most common 4x4 front axles as not everyone can afford the 60s and they're highly underrated for what they can do i ran a stock 10b on 38.5s and ran the truck a little too hard and never had a problem but i was only mudding and hill climbing and some trails where binding was never an issue, now i refuse to sell the axle cause i like it so much if this d60 doesn't straighten out im putting it back in
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[x ReAcT x]

Sorry guys I didnt realize all that haha Appreciate the info, and ill finish out the thread in this spot.

[ERASER5]

Looking forward to it. When I did my D44 hubs, I could have used a good primer like this. There may be some differences, but by and large, very similar.

[msgross]

nice write up...

why didn't you just strip a dana44 if that's what you wanted? I've seen those surplus axles for sale and they were salty for what you got... hope your deal was better...

[x ReAcT x]

Originally Posted by msgross

nice write up...

why didn't you just strip a dana44 if that's what you wanted? I've seen those surplus axles for sale and they were salty for what you got... hope your deal was better...

Thanks for the kind words. The only reason I bought the 10 bolt is because i wanted a brand new, never used axle that would be completely bolt on. Wasnt able to find any 44's. But after recieving this thing i should have just bought a junkyard DANA and rebuilt that because the condition of the surplus axle is less than desirable. It probably would have cost less... Allot of bad decisions on my part but hopefully someone will learn from it.

[msgross]

I used a 10 bolt as well but searched around until I found one with 3.73 gears. Since most front axles hardly get used I figured that i'd just put in new ujoints and go with it...

I found that all parts from the ujoints and out are the same on the 10 bolt and dana 44. The banjo bolt on the calipers moved to a metric at one point....

[OLDCHEV4X4]

Originally Posted by x ReAcT x

because the condition of the surplus axle is less than desirable.

I thought the axle was in good shape. I would of put a new pinion seal in and some axle seals and run it. Mabey some wire brush and paint too. I have used axles in way worse shape than that one.
But...you wanted to regear, so thus the tear down.

[x ReAcT x]

Originally Posted by ERASER5

Looking forward to it. When I did my D44 hubs, I could have used a good primer like this. There may be some differences, but by and large, very similar.

Thanks, i wish i had a primer when i first tore this thing apart took forever to figure it out. Thats funny you mention that cause D44 and 10 bolts are nearly identical except for the knuckles and even then you can get them machined to work. I would rather have a D44 any day though

[x ReAcT x]

Originally Posted by OLDCHEV4X4

I thought the axle was in good shape. I would of put a new pinion seal in and some axle seals and run it. Mabey some wire brush and paint too. I have used axles in way worse shape than that one.
But...you wanted to regear, so thus the tear down.

Yea i guess i cant complain. You read my mind though I sandblasted the entire assembly, put a coat of paint on and replaced the seals. Posting pictures tomorrow

[slimbailess]

Originally Posted by x ReAcT x

So after that failure and some advise from some board members (thanks obijuan) I decided to take 2 crow bars and pry from both sides to esentially pull it out. I was met again with failure. So i got smart and asked a mechanic. He told me the only way that carrier was coming out was with a spreader. And he was right, it came right out. Pretty simple tool. Once you pull the carrier out there will be a bearing, bearing race and a shim on each side of the carrier. Tag, bag and document which side is which, otherwise upon assembly the gears will not mesh. Oh and look what arrived in the mail, my auburn posi-trac unit for the rear axle.

Where did you get the spreader? did you buy it or rent it? curious because I need one for my 10 bolt regear..thanks

[x ReAcT x]

Originally Posted by slimbailess

Where did you get the spreader? did you buy it or rent it? curious because I need one for my 10 bolt regear..thanks

Well the mechanic that built my rear axle allowed me to borrow the spreader. I finally realized that the spreader is unneccesary and i was just prying wrong on the gear carrier. All you need is a long pry bar and pry off one of the 10 bolts holding the ring gear on. Should pop right out. Although the spreader helps out tremdously. I have never seen them for sale though, good luck.

[botmfedr1]

WoW.
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[budman k20]

I think you will miss not having the spreader when you set up your new gears. When I set up my 12 bolt the hardest part of setting the ring gear bearing preload was getting thin shims in without bending them.

[LONGHAIR]

So what happened to the end of this?
I see a few glaring errors and some un-necessary steps, but the pics of the tear-down are great.
Some of the mis-steps were brought out by others along the way, but I still have a few observations.
First, let me say that the spreader is not necessary.....that's a D60 thing. If it really is that tight, there is too much pre-load on the bearings.
Second, you should not be pounding on the shims to insert them. The whole thing goes in together, shims, carrier, races, all at once.
Third, there is a specific tool for pulling the spindle w/o hammering on it. I have seen many of them damaged that way. Also, don't forget/ignore the bearing and seal inside the spindle.
Somewhere along the line, the locking hubs were replaced. The originals would have been automatics.
Last and most importantly, ring and pinion swapping is not a simple "bolt in" thing. There is a lot of tedious fitting/shimming, removing and re-installing to get the set-up perfect. There is also the need of some rather specialized tools to consider.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by x ReAcT x

With the heat / dust shield off your are now faced with a challenge: Removing the Spindle. This has always been a difficult part in rebuilding a 10 bolt. Just take a good size mallet and tap the spindle near the 6 bolts holding it in place. A few rounds of that followed by a few rounds of a chisle should break the rust lock. Take the spindle right off and then you are left with the axle shaft. When the spindle is removed the plastic dust gaurd and seal might pull off like in the picture. Your best choice would be to run to the parts store and get a new seal, they are relatively inexpensive and are the first line of defense from debris. Unlike the rear axle which has c-clips holding the shaft in, the front does not so pull the entire axle shaft assembly right out like a boss. All you should be left with is the knuckle.

I know this is an old thread but I'm doing this now. Same 10 bolt. My axle won't fit through the spindle hole. Tap it through??