Great thread Gordo! This was a massive help in understanding the challenges of puzzling together all this when using the one-piece retainer. I have a few comments and suggestions to add.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordo2
- The single piece bearing retainer makes installation and torque to spec of the pinion shaft retainer nut a bit challenging. You need to prop the entire gear assembly (both main and pinion shafts & gears) up as you torque the main shaft nut to spec. Like the below photo, only with the pinion shaft installed:
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In this photo you wrote pinion nut when you have the main shaft in the vice getting the collared nut torqued. Most people will figure this out but worth mentioning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordo2
Following up from the above info - I installed the main / input shaft first. Ensure that you have the main shaft assembled correctly as removal of components after it's installed on the retainer can be difficult...
Installation of the pinion shaft and gears is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.
You need to insert the pinion shaft part way through the bearing retainer as you hold 4th gear in place. If you insert the shaft fully, 4th gear cannot be installed since it can't clear the 3-4 shift sleeve on the main shaft
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scottrx7tt
How do you press in the inner races of the bearing if you are holding 4th in place while sliding the pinion shaft through the retainer?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordo2
Great question / reminder... That was another squirrelly one.
I had to heat the race and start it onto the pinion shaft, then push the shaft through 4th gear all the way until the race was seated and the gear was in place...
Difficult to describe and rather difficult to execute (hot race - that needed installed quickly so that it didn't cool and compress in the wrong location).
Gordo
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I found an easy way to do this. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures as I was unsure how it would work, but it turned out great. Basically, with my mainshaft holding tool in the vice, I set this up so the mainshaft was pointing straight up (rear/clutch end towards the ceiling.) I let the pinion shaft hang from the one-piece retainer. Probably not great for the 4 point bearing on the mainshaft, but oh well. This meant that the front end of the pinion shaft was pointing towards the floor, with enough clearance from my vice that I could slip parts upward onto the shaft.
I then set the fixed 4th gear on my bench facing upwards, as it would go on the pinion shaft. I then placed the outer race for the 4 point bearing on top of the gear, in the upwards position it would have on the shaft. I hit both the race and the gear center with my propane torch for about 15 seconds to get them hot, picked them up together with welding gloves, and slid them upwards on the pinion shaft, wiggling past the 3-4 slider. They dropped right into place together, and bam! Done. Then the rest of the pinion shaft install was textbook.
Here is a pic I took tonight of how I setup the shafts in the vice. You'll have to imagine that the pinion shaft in hanging from the bearing retainer with no gears on it. You heat up the fixed 4th gear with the 4 point inner race on top of it, then slide them upwards on the pinion shaft into place. Piece of cake!
