Dana 50 re-gear: missing crush sleeve!

[The_Josh_Bear]

So as part of converting my 4.10's to 3.55's, I bought a good used R&P to (hopefully) slap in my Dana 50 and have a matching set.

Boy howdy tearing the 3rd member out of a D50 sucks. A lot. But on to the weird thing:

The pinion had shims but no sleeve! No crush sleeve, nor static, just shims floating around on the shaft between the bearings.

Which brings me to wonder, is that a thing? I know you can set the preload and do some things before adding the sleeve and finalizing the setup, but this is crazy. Owned the pickup 13 years and have never had to re-torque the pinion nut. I'm glad I found it now!

 

[Clb]

I have not had a dana apart for setup, but sounds like someone goofed.
preload is kinda important.

 

[bbjordan]

That is a thing. The D-50 does not have a crush sleeve.

On the pinion, there is a slinger, the roller bearing & cone, the bearing cup, some shims, and then baffle. It passes thru the case then a small shim(s), bearing cup, roller bearing & cone, a slinger, a seal, a deflector, the flange, a washer, and finally a nut.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

That is a thing. The D-50 does not have a crush sleeve.

On the pinion, there is a slinger, the roller bearing & cone, the bearing cup, some shims, and then baffle. It passes thru the case then a small shim(s), bearing cup, roller bearing & cone, a slinger, a seal, a deflector, the flange, a washer, and finally a nut.

Ok I'll try to follow- what do the shims between the bearings press against? Any idea why so many aftermarket companies sell D50 crush sleeves?

Obviously this is my first rodeo but whomever set this up before me did not do it right, even if there is a standard way as you suggest. The shims in my setup were pressed against the little ridge on the shaft and half torn up. They are clearly made for some other placement.

 

[hce]

Take a look at the attached pdf. number 8 is the shim pack for bearing preload. There is also a shim pack behind #7 to adjust bearing depth, not shown. Buy a couple baffles they get destroyed removing the race to adjust pinion depth. The shims are sandwiched between the outer bearing 9 and a step on the pinion, see picture. For your first rodeo make some set up bearings and race. The inside of the carrier bearing can be done with a die grinder and stone, there are shims between the carrier and carrier bearings, #20. The inner pinion race need the outside dia reduced, I use a lathe to spin it while grinding the outside down to a slip fit.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Clb]

take all that as words of wisdom, nothin beats setup bearings for an unknown shim pack setup.
on an original, you can start with the old pack as a base, then go from there.
it's a pita to destroy stuff getting the pack right (enter the setup bearings) another hint clean and dry (no oil)
Good luck

 

[DaveBen]

The shims set up the clearances between the ring and the pinion gears. http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/0910dp-dana-50-front-differential-buildup/. This shows everything you will have to do to get it right. It is not hard, just takes TIME. Good Luck!

 

[austin92]

When I did the 3.73 and truetrac in my 10.25 I ditched the crush sleeve that came with the kit and bought a crush sleeve eliminator. I think they’re more reliable and easier to set up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Clb]

Are you talkin
Solid pinion spacer?
In a Street rig, crush sleeves are fine My wheelers get solid spacers so a whack from a rock does not over crush and loosen the preload.

If not please elaborate!

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

The shims set up the clearances between the ring and the pinion gears. http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/0910dp-dana-50-front-differential-buildup/. This shows everything you will have to do to get it right. It is not hard, just takes TIME. Good Luck!

Thanks for the link, I've seen that article but unless I'm missing some it just has the major steps without the specs or real how-to. Thankfully I found a great dana 44 rebuild on YouTube cause theres jack for dana 50's.
Thanks anyhow I'm not real happy about having to re-do the whole thing but it's a great learning experience.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Take a look at the attached pdf. number 8 is the shim pack for bearing preload. There is also a shim pack behind #7 to adjust bearing depth, not shown. Buy a couple baffles they get destroyed removing the race to adjust pinion depth. The shims are sandwiched between the outer bearing 9 and a step on the pinion, see picture. For your first rodeo make some set up bearings and race. The inside of the carrier bearing can be done with a die grinder and stone, there are shims between the carrier and carrier bearings, #20. The inner pinion race need the outside dia reduced, I use a lathe to spin it while grinding the outside down to a slip fit.

You must be registered for see images attach

Ok so that little shoulder catches the shims, now that makes sense. Whomever installed it put the micro-thin shims against that shoulder so they were deformed and messed up, not sure if that's spec but I would have put the heaviest shim against that shoulder.
Thanks so much for the tips, that'll help a ton.

 

[ifrythings]

The 99+ superduty trucks Dana 50 and 60 use crush sleeves. The older Dana 44, 50, 60 and 70 used shims, both work well for your average daily driver though the crush sleeve does sometimes let the pinion nut come loose.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

The 99+ superduty trucks Dana 50 and 60 use crush sleeves. The older Dana 44, 50, 60 and 70 used shims, both work well for your average daily driver though the crush sleeve does sometimes let the pinion nut come loose.

That's great info! For some reason its hard to find that answer online, I looked.

I just now realized that I ordered the 98+ pinion that uses the crush sleeve, but is that applicable to my '89 housing? Or am i totally boned...? Crush sleeves are $5 so I'm quite happy to use one, no extreme rock crawling for me.

 

[ifrythings]

I’m 95% sure the gear set you got will fit the older axle, I know the Dana 60 stuff swaps over so the 50 should be fine also, if you have your front diff pulled apart already you can take measurements of the pinion old vs new and the main stuff should line up except where they put the crush sleeve.

 

[Clb]

Try west coast differential???