The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1946 1/2 ton torque tube gear set re-ratio

I just started doing this conversion today. Right off the bat I encountered a problem with the retaining bolt that holds the spacer block pin in. My bolt had a slotted head on it instead of taking a half inch wrench like my instructions suggest. It wasn’t too difficult to remove but realized the threaded portion that came out was only about 9/16 of an inch long And looks broke. Can anyone tell me how long the threaded portion of that bolt would be and what the overall length of that retainer bolt is from under the head of the bolt please. The best I can tell is I still may have about a quarter of an inch of bolt before it gets to the round pin.
It looks like I’m majorly screwed going forward on this project even trying to drill The pin straight will be a challenge. I’m guessing the bolt is hardened. Has anyone encountered this issue? Have you had any success removing the rest of this bolt or have any suggestions to get it done.

When I had my axles out to replace seals, I recall that the retainer bolt for the spider shaft had a short threaded section at the head and then a smooth pin. If it broke in the threaded portion, you might try a left hand drill bit to get the rest of the threads and pin out. If it broke in the smooth section, you may be SOL especially if the shaft has turned with the retainer pin still in it. But there's a possibility you could use a strong magnet tool and extract the pin if it's still lined up with the hole. If you can drive the spider shaft in a bit, then maybe the pin will come out with the shaft.

I don't think the pin is hardened, as it really doesn't have any load on it. The overall length should be from the spot where the head sits to just short of the opposite side of the spider shaft.

Good luck.

The retaining bolt for the pin is threaded either slot ,older or bolt end and yes in my experience they do break if lucky they break were there are no threads and you can use a magnet or pick ,sometimes they break just before the threads end and you have to turn it to get it out .I have seen the torch come out on the newer rear axles were there is no square block but just a pin and the pin would be cut out and replaced.i will look for a picture of the lock pin .

Found one in the garage from a AD truck .I have had good luck cleaning with brake clean and either magnet or a sharp pick to spin the rest of the pin out . And also can try wiggle the bigger pin that it goes through to find a spot that lets it turn.

Since the original post, I did notice that the spider pin had the slightest amount of movement in and out. I went back out and tried to drill the remaining part of the pin with a small new bit. I did get a slight amount of a hole started off-center of course. But with any pressure when drilling I did notice the bit started to go around in a small circle, meaning the pin was trying to rotate in its hole. So yes if I was to possibly find a small enough and strong enough magnet, maybe I could pull the remainder of the pin out.

Depends on if there are any remnants of the threads on the stuck pin may have to turn it out if it won’t come straight out but it being loose is a good sign.

Like I suggested, a left handed drill bit could work for you.

The newer 10 bolt rear axles break the pins, I've had to dig out more then one. Super clean the hole with brake cleaner while spinning the broken portion if possible, then wiggle the main gear pin as you work the broken pin, it should just pull out once clean and spinning.

Update on broken pin removal. I tried a pick and small flat blade screwdrivers to work at it and was unsuccessful. A quarter inch magnet may have worked but I opted to order a 3/16 x 1“ magnet off eBay for $1.35. After just a few tries, I was successful in getting it out, yay! For reference, I did pick up another locking bolt, which is Dorman brand 81048 that looks like it should work.
The instruction article I reference shows using Dana 60 pinion shims, but there must be a few variations. The article gives exact ID and OD dimensions but haven’t located those exact ones yet. ID being 2.370 and OD being 2.833.

Good news that you got it out. The pinion shims from the old truck vendors sell a shim pack so that you have a variety to get the right pattern. Once you get yours apart you should be able to compare the size and thickness. There are a few articles and a tech tip on here for the swap as well that may help.

Here's the link to the Stovebolt Legacy Tech Tip 1/2-Ton 3:55 Ring and Pinion Installation that Kevinski is referring to.

Unfortunately the pictures in the tech tip can't be enlarged by clicking on them. A victim of Photobucket. Maybe Chris Sweet can resurrect the photos. That would be helpful if possible.

When changing my 4.11 to 3.55 I used instructions that came with my ring/pinion from Patrick's (which does not exist anymore) and I found Deve's to be very helpful. Here's a LINK

Somethings are a little different than my '46, but useful anyway.

I have checked out the various links, Deve’s is the one I’ve been using. Shim kits are all over on qty. and price. And most don’t give specifics on diameters and thicknesses in the kits. For example: Chevs of the 40’s I think is 6 shims for $77, no way! I think National Drivetrain has the correct kit but they haven’t returned my call.

Just getting ready to install mine for the lash check. Here you go. And yes, the shim kits are expensive. The chevs of the 40s kit is correct inner and outer diameter.

So a final update on this conversion. I did get it completed yesterday with just enough time to do a short test drive and put away for winter just before bad weather hits in a couple days here in Iowa. Following Deve’s instructions worked pretty good for me and doing this in the truck. I only had to remove the carrier assembly and pinion twice to change shims. This truck had been restored previously and I found the bearings in good condition so I didn’t replace any. So I was able to do this with limited additional parts, needed shim kit, axle seals, cover gasket and brake drum gaskets. The Mechanical challenge of doing this was definitely worth doing. Me nearing retirement age and being a bit on the heavier side now led to more of the challenge crawling out from underneath the truck. Lol, but I guess I survived. The only annoying part I didn’t care for was trying to get the carrier held up in correct position to install the races and side adjuster nuts while installing the carrier retaining clamps. Can’t wait till next spring to get it on the highway for a real test.

Great to hear you completed the task! I think I removed my carrier 4-5 times and I believe putting it back in would have been easier with THREE hands! 😀

Yes, 3 hands on a lot of projects would be nice but here especially. I thought I was fairly close after the 2nd pattern check, but I did add another .004” for final assembly. Having the carrier more exposed to use a proper side adjuster nut tool as you had shown would have been a big help also.