Front End Refresh! Dana 60 Suspension Rebuild

[jhenegh]

So the Dana 60 that lives under my F250 has given me almost 20k trouble free miles and 3 winters of snowplowing dependability, and since I literally did nothing to it before I installed it in 2013, it was time to finally give it some love. This became obvious when I went and changed the gear lube this fall and it promptly started coming back out the drivers side axle tube. Knowing that getting in there required some disassembly, I started making plans.

I took some pictures along the way in case they are helpful to others. Probably not "tech worthy", but just what I was able to document with dirty hands and working alone 95% of the time.

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I'll put all the part numbers for what I used at the end.

I started with the leaf spring bushings. This isn't immediately related to the $10 seal that started this expedition, but I wanted to be thorough.

With a press, this isn't a bad job at all. The used F350 springs were installed with the axle in 2013 with new bolts but with no anti-sieze, and they had rusted in place solid. I used the ball joint press to get them started moving and then a big punch once they were flush. Tougher than I expected.

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The bushings weren't terrible, but it was time

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Out with the old! The new poly bushings press in with just 2 hands and their assembly grease so no pics there! I reinstalled Energy Suspension poly bushings. They admittedly probably provide a firmer/harsher ride, but I like the poly products so I used them.

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I used all new hardware with it going back together again. 9/16" bolts were harder to find than I expected.

Next post....

 

[jhenegh]

She's hanging again. Silver anti-sieze on everything, and I got it on my hands so the nicely painted shackles are silver now too. O well.

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And then this happened. It magically disassembled itself

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Ok just kidding. the next step was to get to those inner differential seals which essentially kicked off all this work. That requires removing the calipers, hub & rotor, spindle, axle shafts, and finally the ring gear and carrier.

The calipers just come off with the knocking out and removal of the slider pins on this '94 axle. Tie em up.

Hub and rotor come off after you take off the OUTER spindle nut, WASHER, and INNER spindle nut. I wasn't seeing the washer through all the grease on the 1st side and it threw me for a loop. The whole assembly then slides off easily. Be careful with the outer bearing as it will want to fly right out. Inner bearing is retained by the hub seal.

I don't have any fancy tools for the spindle removal, so I took about a 10" chunk of a 4"x4" and just beat on that with a 4lb mini sledge from all angles around the end of the spindle until I could get a pry bar between the spindle and the knuckle. I tried wrapping the spindle with a heavy magazine and beating on it that way. Don't do it. You get about 3 good hits before you're through the magazine and beating straight on your spindle. Once I got the pry bar in there I was able to walk the spindles out of their knuckles.

Axle shafts pull straight out

Carrier comes out after removing the 4 cap bolts. Mark the bolts and the orientation on the caps. I just used a punch with 1-4 dots for each location. That way there no ink to get washed off. The carrier then prys out. I pried against the sealing surface for the cover and a ring gear bolt. Wasn't too bad. BE CAREFUL and catch the whole thing and the races for both outer bearings as it comes out. After I had it loose I got myself in position to carefully pull it out with both hands and catch everything and set it down on a towel.

I popped the old differential seals out with a 4 foot length of pipe inserted from the outside into the pumpkin. It was only a 1" diameter pipe, and I was able to hold the pipe at an angle in the tube to catch the lip of the seal and work it out.

Clean the area where then new seals go really well. And the axle tube, as the axle will be sliding in it before it contacts and slides into the seal. An acetone-soaked rag and a wire pulling it through the axle tube worked for me. Basically a giant shotgun snake.

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I farmer-installed the new seals with a 3/4 drive socket (I think I use my 3/4" socket set more in the press and installing seals than I do as a wrench!) and long extensions.

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This worked really well! I am usually *awful* at getting seals started, but once I got this solidly set where it needed to go, some confident and solid hits drove em home.

To reinstall the ring gear and carrier I invested in a $5 bag of ice and put the carrier in a trash bag and chilled it down to get it to shrink as much as possible, and even then it was a very snug fit and I needed a little luck and verbal persuasion to get it back in and get the cap bolts started.

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With the core of my work done, I now started moving back outwards. My ball joints "seemed" OK but now seemed like a pretty darn good time to tackle them.

The knuckles aren't too bad to remove. Take off both ball joint nuts. Make sure the axle is supported so it is solid. If your truck was supported by the frame like mine was and the axle is just hanging by the springs, get something solid under the axle, else you'll just be hitting the leaf springs down, and you wont get anywhere because even the biggest hit from a sledge hammer is child's play to what kind of impact those front springs can take and absorb, so make sure you take them out of the equation and your hitting on solid ground. Once supported, the 4lb mini sledge made quick work of knocking the knuckles straight down. Definitely took a few hits, but both came off easily. DON'T nick your front fender with the hammer like I did

 

[jhenegh]

These are some pretty sizeable ball joints we're working with

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I have a ball joint press but I quickly discovered I didn't have the correct cups/adapters for it. Someone, in their infinite wisdom, when designing the Ball-Joint Dana 60, decided to make the metal around the ball joint holes slightly angled, or not a perfect 90 degree angle in relation to the direction the joint presses in and out. If you don't use the correct angled cup, you end up pushing crooked, and that just doesn't work.

SO go down to Advance Auto Parts and rent their big ball joint press set. Not O'Reillys, Not Autozone. Advance is the only ones with this set. I tried em all.

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Once you've got that, a good impact makes it quick work.

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Comparing my old Spicer sealed joints to the new ones from XRF, the old ones were definitely looser based simply on the fact I could move them. The XRF were TIGHT and I couldn't get them to move just holding them in my hand.

(Ball joint thread: http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?76364-Greaseable-or-sealed-ball-joints&highlight=)

Clean the holes really well.

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I've read that the bottom joint has to be the first out and last in due to how the ball joint presses fit, but my experience says that either can go whenever.

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This was installing the new ones. And both joints and both presses fit before anything was pressed into place. You can also see the angled adapter pretty well in this picture, on the right side (the top ball joint)

When reinstalling the knuckles, be sure to follow the torque specs. Mine said 37 ft lb on lower joint, then 75 ft lb on top joint, then 150 ft lb on lower. Essentially seems like it seats the knuckle, gets the top tightened in, then sets the lower joint. Staring at the whole thing and seeing where the snap rings are and how everything is held together etc., it all makes sense.

Getting a little ahead here but it is relevant; I used the short-straight supplied grease zerks on them. They cleared the axle shaft when it was all said and done, you just need a 90 degree grease tip to get on the zerk.

 

[jhenegh]

You've got the axleshafts laying in your lap, so you might as well put in new U joints. Mine looked fine but man were they ever stiff. The were Spicer sealed joints, and upon disassembly, only 1 of the 8 caps still had grease getting to it. They were due. To get off the inside retainer clips, I heated them until they were glowing red (just the clips!). This caused them to lose their spring and helped break down the rust. After that, a screwdriver easily got them out.

A shop press again helps get things moving here, but hammers and sockets is a valid option too.

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After wire wheeling, the new ones fell into place very nicely and without event. I went with the Spicer sealed ones again.

So now we've got to get the spindle back on, and I've discovered that there were multiple spindle seal designs for these Dana 60's depending on year. Mine being a "newer" on does not use the same seals that a kingpin-type 60 would use.

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/sh...-Needle-Bearing-Seal-National-SBK3&highlight=
^^^^^^
This thread details that.

So what you've gotta do is knock out the old roller bearing, which I had a lot of luck just using a Harbor Freight pry bar. It caught the edge of the bearing perfectly, and I knocked it out in 30 seconds.

Once it is out, clean everything up and carefully drive the new roller bearing back in and then carefully tap in the integrated seal and thrust washer.

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Go and grab the axleshaft, and clean it up really nice, and press on that seal. I didn't have any round pipe to fit it at that exact moment, but I carefully used some box tubing and brass drift punches to get the seal set on there.

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At this point, slide your axleshaft back in the axle, and be somewhat careful not to damage your new inner seals. Grease up the axle wherever it will contact that inner seal (this is why we cleaned the tubes earlier). Apply a liberal coat of antisieze to the knuckle, brake shield (if you use them) and the spindle, as they all sandwich together.

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Once together, the antisieze just barely lets you know it's doin its job by squeezing out a little.

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With the antisieze applied and everything all cleaned up, you can actually install and remove the spindle with very little force, all by hand. That must've been how it felt on the assembly line...no rust

 

[jhenegh]

Ready for some hubs!

I put in new Timken bearings, races, and seals, as one side sounded "gravelly" when I did my initial disassembly. Grease prevents any removal pictures, but just pry out the hub seal and the inner bearing then falls right out. To knock the races out, I used a brass drift punch so as not to mar anything on the inside.

I used two of the old races to knock the new ones in. By cutting a slit in the race, you relieve any tension it can create when being pressed in, so it works great as a solid driver perfectly sized for the new race but comes right back out again once the new ones bottom in their new home.

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To remove/install the rotors on these hubs, find a good hammer, and make GOOD, SOLID, SQUARE, CONFIDENT blows to each wheel stud. With one good hit, 90% of them will drop right out, and the remaining 10% only take another hit or 2. It is a little nerve-racking, but hit em like you mean it, and you won't hurt anything. Peck at em, you'll mushroom them over and ruin them.

Side story: playing soccer as a youth, I had one coach that was of European origins and really intense for the middle-schoolers we were. He was mad at one kid once for not kicking the ball hard enough and just yells across the field at him "Why don't you just hit it with your purse, Nancy!?!?"

Don't be that kid. Don't hit the studs with your purse, even if you rightfully carry one. Hit em like you mean it.

To reinstall the studs, I again used a big brass drift punch, and just hit em home. The hub and rotor should be nice and solid together once all 8 are seated.

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Once here, pack your bearings with disk-brake approved grease, drop in the inner, install the new hub seal, and slide the hub on the spindle, slide on the outer bearing, and put the inner spindle nut, then get the nut and washer lined up after torquing the inner nut, then the outer nut.

Lifted from the internet, said better than I ever could:

"FRONT wheel-bearing adjuster (inner)nut:

Step 1: To seat, torque inner nut to 50(lb-ft) while spinning hub.

Step 2: Back off, then torque to 35(lb-ft) for automatic hubs,or 50(lb-ft) for manual hubs.

Step 3: Back off 3/8-turn for automatic hubs, and just enough to free the bearing for manual hubs.

Front wheel bearing lock (outer) nut- 160 (lb-ft)"

So now you've got the hubs on. Now you just need to either slide the calipers and new pads back on or do the whole shebang and put on a whole new caliper and hose. If you need to know how to do a disk-brake job, that is well documented in others threads!

My tie rods were surprisingly tight, and since they're so easy to access I decided not to replace them right now, but I did replace the grease boots with poly ones from Energy Suspension

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They fit very well and smooshed well when everything was assembled.

(How not to install your tire rods and drag link: http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?76800-Tie-Rod-and-Drag-Link-Rub&highlight=)


SO with all of this done and the addition of a RedHead Steering box and Borgeson steering shaft and hydroboost all with this front-end work, this truck has finally arrived in the 21st century. I didn't get pics of those actions. Hydroboost is covered well, steering box is 3 bolts, a pitman arm and some hoses, and the steering shaft is trim, screw, done.

Hope these pics can help someone, I gleaned info from many threads/sites and just tried to consolidate some knowledge and show how one shade-tree mechanic got it done.

 

[jhenegh]

Part #'s

Front Spring Bushings; Energy Suspension 4.2121G

Inner Differential seals; Spicer 36487

Spindle bearing & seal kit; National SBK5.
Seals only; SKF 21918 and SKF 14634

Inner Front wheel bearing bearing & race; Timken 387A & Timken 382A

Outer wheel bearing and race; Timken SET38

Hub seal; Timken 415960

Front axle U joints: Spicer SPL55-3X (the greasable version is SPL55-4X)

Ball Joints: XRF K80026 and XRFK8607T This is the link to all 4 in a kit. It's discounted as a kit: http://www.thetireclub.com/item.wws...504651&mfr=XRF?q=K80026K8607T&safe=active The link is seemingly impossible to find sometimes, so here it is.

Rotors: RAYBESTOS 6084R

Calipers/pads: NASTRA 7441617

L & R Brake hoses: DORMAN H38121 DORMAN H38898

Track Bar; MEVOTECH CMS40192.
Poly bushings if your bar is still good; Energy Suspension 4.7115R

Tie rod boots; Energy Suspension 9.13101G

 

[IDIoit]

i dont know whats better, the build or the fact that you reserved posts so some jerk like me wouldnt interrupt you

 

[jhenegh]

Gotta be fast!

More later

 

[jhenegh]

i dont know whats better, the build or the fact that you reserved posts so some jerk like me wouldnt interrupt you

Alright, now you can tell me whatever I've done wrong!

 

[riotwarrior]

Fantastic job man terrific write up.

 

[IDIoit]

Alright, now you can tell me whatever I've done wrong!

First of all, you did not deposit millions of dollars into my pay pal account.
Shame on you.

 

[mblaney]

Nice write up! The part numbers are always a good thing... nice when someone does all the research and posts a good shopping list like this. I listed many parts in my D60 thread (in sig)... if anyone else finds there way here but needs some more steering component parts I have numbers posted there.

You like the XRF? Mine are great.

 

[jhenegh]

Nice write up! The part numbers are always a good thing... nice when someone does all the research and posts a good shopping list like this. I listed many parts in my D60 thread (in sig)... if anyone else finds there way here but needs some more steering component parts I have numbers posted there.

You like the XRF? Mine are great.

I think your thread is where I first heard of XRF. The 250 miles I've put on it so far it is really tight. With new joints, RedHead steering box and shaft it is ALMOST too tight to not return to center, but not quite. I imagine it will wear in very nicely. Now I just need to get my Delrin spacer in there once I get it in the mail and I literally expect to have zero play in my steering. T'will be glorious.

If/when the tie rods need done, I'll look to XRF as the reputation seems great and price was right in line with Spicer, but I liked that they were greasable and have that absurd warranty.

 

[mblaney]

I was unable to make the CURE spacers last weekend - I started fixing some broken welds on my rear bumper and found a fuel leak... finished installing the new tank last night. I think you have a source for the spacer but I will be turning out a bunch of these so if you have problems getting one let me know.

 

[rwk]

Spacer in the mail,you should get today or tomorrow, made from black delrin, made OD little bigger, we will see how well it holds up.
You/ Blaney can test both UHMW and the Delrin, Oil burners proving grounds