Dana 30 part 5 - Spindle inspection

The old G.I. Joe cartoons said it best when they say "Knowing is half the battle".  After picking up the new JP Magazine and reading about a Dana 30 they bought that was trashed it got me to thinking.  First was my Jeep had a lot of half-assed repairs on it.  Then I thought well the one side of the Dana 30 had the ball joints replaced.  In the JP Magazine article they stated that their spindles were ruined cause an uniformed shade tree mechanic used a metal hammer to remove the spindles.  Now with mine I used a rubber mallet or if needed a 2x4 with a 5lb sledge.  Did not even think of looking for poorly executed repairs.  Upon further inspection of my spindles sure enough one side had been hammered off and damaged.  Right on the bearing surfaces.



Unacceptable.  Lucky for me only one was hammered.  Ended up ordering two off eBay due to the place having them for $10 a piece.  Will take my chances and see if one is good.  Otherwise a new one is around $90-100.  OEM always is better than the crap made in China.  If this was a vehicle for just off road fun then maybe I would just smooth it over with a file, but I intend on driving this on the street.

DON'T CUT CORNERS AND MAKE HALF-ASSED REPAIRS.   TAKE PRIDE IN WHAT YOU DO AND DO IT RIGHT TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITIES.

Dana 30 part 4 - Putting it back together, pinion yoke

Now that things are starting to get cleaned up and painted it is time to put it back together.  Since this is a total rebuild with new bearings we have to install new bearing races into the axle.  To do this I used a couple things.  First up is a Harbor Freight - bearing race and seal driver set.  This was a great tool for the AMC 20 rear axle.


But...  The bearings on the Dana 30 pinion did not fit any adapters from this kit.  So I fired up my metal lathe and turned an adapter.


But...  When I used my 12 ton HF press the bearing race after lubricating with 'engine assembly lube' it went in askew.  So I broke out the $6 brass punch and tapped it into place.  On the yoke side I just used the brass punch.  The moral of the story is you don't need specialized tools all the time.  Could have saved $30 on the set and bought a $6 brass punch instead.  Just remember tap, not hammer.   Don't try to be like Thor.


Here is the inside race.  Before setting the race in side place the baffle in first then the shims.  Lastly press the race into place. 


Press the new bearing onto the pinion.  Take the old yoke side bearing and remove the cage that holds the roller.  Split it with a grinder and then open it up by wedging in a piece of metal.  This will make the hole bigger.  Press on the new bearing putting on the oil slinger first followed by the bearing.   Use engine assembly lube on the new bearing.  Put the split bearing on as a collar and press on the new bearing.  Grease the bearings.  You don't have to pack it tightly,  just enough so it does not run dry when you first start using it.


Now install the shims onto the pinion followed by the bearing, bearing shield then seal.   Put the yoke on followed by the new washer and nut.  Torque to 220 ft lbs and check for a rotational torque of 20 inch pounds.   Keep tightening till you reach at least 20 inch pounds.  Ok yoke is done.  *Keep in mind I am reusing the original setup and not changing gears.  If I was using new gears I would not be using the same shims and going through the process with gauges.


If you are wondering I am using a Jet BD-920 metal lathe.   This is referred to as an Asian 9x20.  They have been made for over 30 years now and are a copy of the Emco Compact 8 lathe.  I have had this one for 10-13 years and it has served me well.  It is meant for home use and is quite capable despite what negative things have been said about it.  Two mods make a big difference on this lathe.   The 4 screw compound clamp and a AXA quick change tool holder.  There are many sources on the web for these tools.

Dana 30 part 3 - POR-15 application

Now that the Dana 30 is completely disassembled and wire brushed we need to prevent it from rusting again.  First thing that was done is it was coated with a rust converter.  It is basically phosphoric acid so if you use it do it outside and use gloves.  Next thing is to do is encapsulate the metal from the elements.  This is where the POR-15 comes in.  POR stands for Paint Over Rust.  It is a plastic type of coating that prevents the metal from moisture.  If there is no moisture there will be no rust.


It is $50-60 a quart but worth every penny.  However it needs UV protection to make it last.  A coating of paint or clear coat that is all that is needed.


I would recommend doing this outside but right now in SW Florida it is rainy season.  So plastic sheeting will be put down in the garage.  I put it on sawhorses with a pvc pipe running though the center so I can rotate it.


And here it is after painting.  You need to do a minimum of 2 coats with 2-6 hours in between coats.


With as expensive as this coating is you should follow the directions on the can and put plastic wrap in between the lid and can. Once it sets up it is all but impossible to remove the lid.

Dana 30 part 2 - teardown

The following was not photographed.   First thing that was needed was the spindles needed to come off the steering knuckles.  To do this put both spindle nuts back on the spindle.  Use the washer in between the nuts.  These are here for the gear puller.  Attach the gear puller and pull it off.  If yours have not been off since 1979 like mine had you are going to have to persuade them with a rubber mallet.  Put pressure on them then tap them with the mallet.  They should eventually come off.  At this point the axles slide right out.  Set these aside.  Next is to release the steering knuckle from the axle.   Loosen the upper and lower ball joint nuts.  Leave them on.  My lower ball joint nuts were rusted solid so I had to use a Dremel and cold chisel to remove the nut.  Now take the upper ball joint castle nut and thread it so that it is level with the top of the threads.  Now hit it with your sledge hammer till it drops.  Remove the nuts and the steering knuckle is now off.


Next is to drain the oil from the differential. I let this sit for a couple days while I did other things. No metal came out so that is good.


Once the oil has drained it is time to pull the pumpkin.


Take it down off the stand and put it on a couple jack stands.  It is light enough to do this by hand at this point.  Now loosen the end caps but do not remove them.  You don't want the pumpkin flying across the room when you pry it out.  Now take two large bars and pry the carrier out.  When it has popped remove the caps and lift out the carrier.  Next we will take out the yoke.


You will need to make a yoke removal tool.  It is just a 1/4" x 2" piece of steel drilled so that a socket can pass through to the yoke nut and 4 holes for the yoke.  It only takes about 10 minutes to make one and I never have seen one for sale.


Here is all apart.  Now it is time to take the whole thing outside degrease and pressure wash it.  Follow that with a wire wheel and some POR-15.

Dana 30 part 1 - teardown

I will cover my front end tear down of  the Dana 30.  First I built a stand out of some 2 x 6's and used my motor lift to put it onto the bench.


Next a ball joint separator was used to take the steering linkage off. Then came the brakes. These are held in differently than what I am used to.


The are held in by being wedged in and a bolt is holding in the wedge.


Then a punch is used to drive out the wedge as in the picture.


Up next is the Warn locking hubs.  The come off quite easy.  Remove the 6 bolts holding the hub on and remove.  Take of the snap ring(1) followed but another ring(2).  The engagement gear(4) comes off next followed by the spring(3).  Then this hub(5) will come off.  A spindle nut socket is used to remove the first spindle nut(6).  Behind that is a washer then another spindle nut and another washer.


At this point the spindles can come off and it should look like the picture above.  All parts were tagged and bagged for easy reassembly.

DIY Differential work stand

This is just a little DIY differential work stand I came up with.  Nothing spectacular but does the job and is under $10.


For this I used a 2 x 6, eight foot long.  A 2 5/8" hole saw made the notches for the axle to sit in.   Measure one foot from the end of the board and use the hole saw to drill hole.  Cut this board at the one foot mark and you have your uprights.  Then cut a board 32 1/2" long, this will be the base.  Use a couple lag bolts on both ends to secure it.  I had some 90° framing pieces so I bolted them on.  Not necessary but it adds strength.  Two lag screws secure it to the table.  To hold the yoke end up I just used a hammer to prop it up.  This should last years.

Painting the AMC 258

The engine was power washed, hit with a wire brush and some de-rusting solution.  Then cleaned again.  The distributor, fuel pump, oil sender, spark plugs, water pump and thermostat housing was removed.  Everything was cleaned again then things were masked off.


The spark plug holes where the most difficult part to mask off.  Tape circles were cut out then tweezers were used to mask the holes.


Time to put some lipstick on this pig.  For the paint I am using Seymour EN-66 AMC blue metallic spray cans.  It was given four light coats.  The block took one can by itself.



My replacement oil pan was also painted.


Still have to paint the pulleys, valve cover and intake.

AMC 20 part 5 - buttoning it up

I found a .250 roll pin fits fine and won't come out.  So now the rear carrier is done.   Over the course of a few years I lost the differential filler plug.  If I remember right it was in poor shape anyways.


This is what you will need to plug the hole.  It is a brass pipe plug you find in the Home Depot plumbing department.  Nice thing about brass it won't rust solid.


It will also look really nice on a freshly painted rear end.   It does not stick out that far, I just have it in by a couple threads.  When you are ready fill the rear end up with 80w-90 oil to the bottom of the fill hole.  Wrap the threads of the plug with some teflon tape and install the plug.


The breather fitting had a hole in it and needed to be repaired. When I had the axle out I drilled and tapped it for a 7/16-20 thread. Into it is a 7/16-20 to 1/4" nipple. I will be replacing this with a -4 AN fitting. It uses the same thread size.


Finally here is a shot of the diff guard I installed.  Only thing left to do is assemble the brakes, bend some brake lines and put the wheels on.

AMC 20 part 4 - Installing axle and locker

I have installed the AMC 20 on the Jeep frame.  It just bolts on and is pretty strait forward so I did not feel the need to document it.  But here is a picture.


From this point I put the axle on jack stands and removed the tire.  Only the passengers side axle was not installed due to having to be sent back for re-machining.   First thing is to assemble the components in the right order per the instructions.  Remember to pack the bearing with grease.


Put engine assembly lube on the bearing surface for easier assembly.  Use a clamp to hold the parts together when you put the axle in the press.


Use the press to seat the bearing.


If you put the backing plate on the wrong way and press the bearings on, this is what your $50 mistake will look like.  Bearings cannot be pulled off they have to be cut off.


Once bearings are on install the axle.  Instead of using the regular gears that come with the diff I used a Richmond Lock Right locker.  This will ensure that power will get to the wheels even if one wheel is off the ground.  Somehow I misplaced the roll pin and will have to find a .260" roll pin replacement.  Then I can button it up and put fluid in it.