Robert Rausch

I'm out in Cal. and don't have access to my usual tools. Anyway to make a long story short I decided to pull my PowrLok rear-end gearset and take it in for new clutches. It is a 2001.5 or 2002 disc-brake rear-end that I put in my '95 SRW 2500. So I pulled the gearset and took it in to Hooper's Rear Ends in the San Fernando Valley area of L.A. (They are great guys!). They installed new clutches and steels the same day, and I just stuck it back in the case. But do I need to come up with a dial indicator and dial this thing back in? I haven't filled it with oil yet, so if I'm going to dial it in, now is the time to do it. Or can I just bolt it back in and drive away?

joem

X2 on this question, My new Dana 70 is a open diff and is totally worthless of the pavement, even on grass 4wd is required as it just cannot push the heavy front end in 1wd, I even have issues on wet pavement when pulling heavy loads I find myself pulling it into 4wd to reduce right rear wheel spin- Im lookin for a good locker for my 2002 dana 70 because this open diff is Horrable.

gorms

I have *read* that as long as the bearing caps/shims are put in exactly the same way as when they came out you shouldn't have to reshim. Check with Hooper's or Quad4x4 to be sure, I don't do this for a living!

Tate

If you haven't replaced the bearings, you should be able to just put it back in. All the shims are held between the bearings and the carrier. Its good to have a datum as to where it was before, but it won't hurt it. Chances are the backlash is a bit looser now with worn bearings.

Robert Rausch

I put the bearing caps back on EXACTLY as they came out. I was very careful to lay them into a shoebox lid marked Pass. side and Dr. side, and which side was up. I even put the bolts back in their same holes.

Robert Rausch

I just got off the phone with Anthony from Hoopers. He said since I'm using the same bearings and since I'm putting the bearing caps in exactly as they came out I probably won't have any problem. There should be 8-10 thou of backlash. If any of you guys are in Cal. and need rear-end work, Hoopers has been THE place to go since the 1960's. Still family run and doing great work.

Robert Rausch

I got everything buttoned up and took it for a drive. I didn't hear any shuddering as I went around corners. I put in about 6 oz of limited slip additive. So far so good--hope I didn't put in too much additive. I do have a MagHytec case on it, so it holds about 6 quarts of gear oil.

Here's a tip: In order to pull the gearset, I took a small rachet strap--the kind with a 1" nylon strap--and I ran the strap around the PowrLok case and then around my hitch on the back of the truck. Then I just racheted it up and the gearset pulled right out and fell out of the case. I had placed a cardboard box with about 4" of rigid foam insulation under the rear-end, so when it fell down it landed right on the rigid foam.