GM 10 Bolt Rear End Rebuild

So, my dad blew the rear end up in his car, so i offered to rebuild it. I am pretty smart guy and know a good bit about cars, but this is the most frustrating thing I have ever done on a car. You have to take things in and out, move shims from one place to another, and then check it on the dial indicator; all the while I have someone telling me that I should just jiggle it around until it spins freely (guess my dad's generation grew up improvising for not having a lot of tools). I am hoping this is one of those things that is easier the second time around. If anyone wants to give me some tips for next time, it will be appreciated.

 

Aren't there books that teach how to build GM 10 bolts, Ford 9 inch rears, etc? I know a guy that did his own and used the book and they turned out fine. I know nothing about rebuilding them but would love to learn. Maybe look into a few books that tell you how to do it, what tools you need, the space needed (measurments), etc.

 

You need to get the backlash and pattern right, and also the side bearing pre-load and the pinion pre-load. That's what you are referring to swapping shims back & forth and so on. If you were just opening it up I'd suggest you make sure that your shim pack stays on the side of the car where it was originally to begin with. If you are using the same carrier you at least have a fighting chance at getting it close on the first try.

There are sites that have a step-by-step guide on doing one of these. These things are more of a bitch because you have no threaded adjusters to help you........you have to have that box of extra "starter" shims and a pile of small shims to get one of these right. Go to several of the gear manufacturers' sites, you'll find several with help for the DIY guy.

 

The first time I did one, I borrowed a box of used shims from a helpful machine shop...made life easier. But the pressing things on and off was still a pain, since I didn't have a press at the time and had to run into town, six pack in hand, to get someone to let me use their press.

this one might help....

 

Usually the original pinion shim is a good place to start. Try to keep the original thickness of the combined carrier shims especially of it's getting reused for the carrier preload . You don't have to have a press to change the bearings either , just alot easier.

The outer cage needs to be cut off than take a die grinder with a cut off wheel and at least cut a 45* across the remainder of the bearing without going into the carrier. Once your cut most of the way thru hit the groove with a chisel, it will split the rest of the bearing in two. than reuse the inner part of the old bearing to put the new bearing on.

 

I had a good book for this one. It was titled "Differentials: Identification, Restoration, and Repair". My dad had managed to blow the differential up, which destroyed the ring gear, so I was working from scratch with a new differential and ring and pinion, so none of the factory shimming was right. The trial and error was what gave the headache.