Front 10 Bolt Teardown / Rebuild PICTURES!

[x ReAcT x]

Well here is the dirtiest, greasiest part of the axle. Enjoy! There are 2 parts of the locking hub. The part we just removed and the locking assembly which we are looking at. First we will remove the outer lock gear. The warn hubs secure this gear with a phillips head screw. so grab your phillips screw driver and start turning. Behind this gear is a spring, remove that also.

[x ReAcT x]

So this is what your looking at now. There is no more gear and spring. Only 2 more steps. 1) We need to remove the lock ring that lays on the very outside of the hub. Its about 3/4 of an inch from the side. Just get a pair of picks and pry them beneath the ring and push up. Its a little tricky at first but should pull right up. 2) Next there is a snap ring right on the edge of the axle shaft keeping the locking hub assembly from sliding out. Grab your lock pliers and remove the snap right.

[x ReAcT x]

WOO-LAH! Now you should be able to pull the locking assembly right out. Should look something like this:

[OLDCHEV4X4]

Everything looks pretty good on the inside.....for being in a crate, outside for over 20 years.

[DirtyLarry]

Yes, it does look very clean inside. That was a good score even if you have to regear it.

[obijuan]

for what its worth, you can just undo the large hub snap ring and pull the lockout assy out. no need to undo that phillips screw.

you nentioned you were getting new balljoints, did you mean tie rod ends? why? the axle is new.


i think its a very wise choice on getting a new axle than rebuilding it. id have done the same in your situation.

[x ReAcT x]

Everything looks pretty good on the inside.....for being in a crate, outside for over 20 years.

I was thinking the same thing.

Yes, it does look very clean inside. That was a good score even if you have to regear it.

Yea i suppose so, regearing it was supposed to be a easy swap but i cant figure out how to get the gear carrier out, its like its pressed in there.

[obijuan]

it might be in there real tight. you have the bearing caps off and the shafts out right? lol take two pry bars and stick em in the carrier. stand over the axle and pry up on the carrier. itll come out.

OR you can rotate the gears and stuff a rag in between the ring and pinion gears. then manhandle and rotate the pinion gear and it will push out the carrier.

[x ReAcT x]

Well about 3 months ago I bought new tie rod ends (not ball joints, that was a typo) and I wont be able to return them. They are the Moog Problem Solvers so i figured i would just install them on the axle.

As for the phillips screw, I wanted to see if the spring was in good shape. The springs on my original axle were completely rusted out and i didnt know it but that had froze themselves in the locked position even though the hub stated they were in free. That ruined my axle haha

Yea i figured it would be better to start fresh, the original axle was in less than desireable condition

Cheers

[x ReAcT x]

Next thing we are going to do is remove the spindle nut. This is also fairly easy if you have the right tools. There is a special socket you will need to get these spindle nuts off. At one point I didnt have the socket and im sure most people dont have these sitting around in their garage. So there is a poor mans way of doing it. Grab you 2 screwdrivers and insert them in 2 of the grooves in the nut. Push the screwdriver in your right hand up and the one in your left hand down. Now its a little tricky but it has worked for me in the past when I removed the spindle from my original front axle. But this surplus axle didnt budge after hours and hours of trying the screwdrivers so I went and bought a spindle nut. Its amazing how easy things are when you have the right tools. One nice tug and the spindle nut came right off. Once you get the spindle nut off there will be a uniquely shaped washer with 12 tiny holes drilled into it.

[x ReAcT x]

Once you get the spindle nut off there will be a uniquely shaped washer with 12 tiny holes drilled into it. Grab 2 hook picks and you should be able to slide the washer right off. Behind the washer there will be another spindle nut. Grab your socket and remove that also. The spindle nut in the rear has a tiny point sticking out of it which fits perfectly into one of the 12 holes in the washer we just removed.

[x ReAcT x]

With the spindle nuts removed the entire hub assembly / brake disk should pull right off. Depending on how bad you beat your rig, the hub and brake disk will probably be rusted together and be a pain to seperate. I always keep mine as one unit unless i need to replace the disk (Never). Once you get the hub out the front cone shaped bearing is probably going to fall out on the ground in a pile of dust and dirt and be no good like mine did. The rear cone bearing is kept in place by a seal. Grab you a crowbar or your choice and that seal should pop right out followed by the cone bearing. All that should be left on the axle is your disk brake heat shield with 6 nuts securing it in place

[x ReAcT x]

The disk brake heat shield nuts are easily removed with a breaker bar, extension, and 9/16" socket. After removing all the nuts the heat shield should come right off revealing the spindle.

[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.

[x ReAcT x]

We are finally getting somewhere. Now its time to remove the knuckles and ball joints. Push your knuckle as far to one side as you can to expose the ball joint nuts. The upper ball joint is seated with a castle nut and cotter pin. First remove cotter pin (page 1 for more detail on removing pins) and then remove castle nut. Make sure to spray the castle nut with some PB Blaster and let it sit for a minute or too before continuing. The castle nut is 5/16" wide, and happens to be the only socket i have missing. So i used a wrench and just gave it a couple taps with the mallet. Nut unscrewed right off. Now for the bottom ball joint nut. This is where things got interesting. The bottom ball joint nut was a 28mm wide?!?! I didnt realize they threw metric and standard sizes together on the front axle (happens more than once..) Once you get both ball joint nuts off its time to remove the knuckle. I first tapped the knuckle in multiple areas to try and break the ball joint seat but since I wasnt going to reuse the ball joints I ended up beating the **** out of the ball joint bolt with the mallet. Came out fine.

[x ReAcT x]

Now that the knuckle is off it should look something like this. Just the axle tube. As a habit I always shove a rag in the axle tube housing to keep dust and debris out while im working on it. Also be careful when beating out the upper ball joint, because if you get reckless like I did the ball joint bolt mushroom tops and wont fit the seat hole and then your gonna have to hit it with the grinder to push it threw. (I learned the hard way)

[x ReAcT x]

Gear Carrier Removal/ How to Remove Gear Carrier

So now the fun part, I finally get to swap the POS 3.08 gear ratio out and throw my 3.42's in. First things first, you need to remove the ball bearing caps. To remove the caps your going to need a breaker bar, extension, and 5/8" or 16mm socket (both work perfects, weird). So loosen the bolts and before you remove the ball bearing caps and bolts make damn sure you lable the bolts. Use a paint marker and mark TR (top right) BR (bottom right) TL (top left) BL (bottom left) or 1,2,3,4 or a,b,c,d. Whatever will make you remember the order. I placed mine right on the bench that way I dont forget the order.

[x ReAcT x]

SPIDER GEAR REMOVAL / HOW TO REMOVE SPIDER GEARS

Now on that last picture I got a little bit ahead of myself with showing you the spider gears. Heres how to remove them. Start by turning the gear carrier up to expose the bolt on top screwed into the carrier holding the spider gear rod in place. This bolt easily comes out with a 8mm socket (I see they switched back to metric) Remove that bolt and the rod is either going to slide right out or you will have to finger the hole and push the rod out yourself. Once the rod is out, remove the spider gears from the side. If they drop into the axle housing no big deal. Turn the carrier, fit your hand in, and remove the gears.

[x ReAcT x]

Once the spider gears are removed the carrier should look something like this. May i remind you once again to keep organized and remember the bolt pattern. (The blue blobs are the cone washers wrapped in a rag, nothing crazy)

[x ReAcT x]

Originally Posted by obijuan

it might be in there real tight. you have the bearing caps off and the shafts out right? lol take two pry bars and stick em in the carrier. stand over the axle and pry up on the carrier. itll come out.

OR you can rotate the gears and stuff a rag in between the ring and pinion gears. then manhandle and rotate the pinion gear and it will push out the carrier.

Ball bearing caps! thats what they are called. I kept refering to them as gear carrier straps. But yes they are removed and so are the shafts lol I was in the proccess of uploading the pictures at the time of this post. I appreciate the input though im going to try that tomorrow morning and try and get them out. Thank you.

[x ReAcT x]

HOW TO REMOVE 10 BOLT GEAR CARRIER / REMOVAL OF GEAR CARRIER

So I've removed 1 or 2 gear carriers out of rear axles, they just fall right out once you take the ball bearing caps out. Front axles are a little different regardless of wether they are a GM 10 Bolt or a DANA 44, the gear carriers are pressed in. This being the first time ive ever attempted this I had a few ideas to get them out. First was to take my engine hoist and wrap a chain around the gear carrier and try to pull it right out. Sweet idea right? Definitely not. And it didnt even get the carrier to budge.

[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.

[x ReAcT x]

Here is what you got when you pull out the carrier assembly.

[x ReAcT x]

10 BOLT YOKE REMOVAL / HOW TO YOKE PINION GEAR

To remove the yoke, your going to need an air gun, extension and a 1 1/4" socket. I dont have any good pneumatic tools so dont joke. I had to borrow my neighbors air gun to get the job done.

[x ReAcT x]

10 BOLT PINION GEAR REMOVAL / HOW TO REMOVE PINION GEAR

With the yoke nut removed, you can pull the entire yoke right off. Now put the nut back onto the pinon bolt so you dont ruin the threads and get you a mallet and swing away. Once you get the pinion loose, unscrew the nut and pull the entire pinion right out. The crush sleeve and the main pinion bearing should be the only things that come out attached onto the pinion. Mmm crusty pinion seal. And then a shot of what your axle housing should look like without the pinion. Axle is nearly stripped down.