The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts tips on removing front pinion on rear end?

i have a 49 chevy 6400 and i need to replace the bearing where the driveshaft goes into the 2 speed rear end.im guessing you call it the the fron pinion?i took the driveshaft off, and i got the big nut and washer off, but the deadblow hammer and a piece of wood doesnt seem enough.any other ideas?
Thanks
Dan

A larger BFH, the kind usually found near a ford project.

Seriously, try soaking it for awhile and getting a puller to help things along. Now maybe someone who does this frequently has a better idea and will provide it.
Dan

Here's the first place to look...
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/index.htm

And here's the manual page
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/47ctsm0426.htm

The pinion cage looks like it comes out whole, carrying the pinion and bearings. The whole lot should pull apart but it looks like the bearings are press on. You wont get it apart without taking the whole cage out.

I have this job coming up on my 4100, the bearings are ok but the old leather seals have shat.

Best of luck.

Hammering on the yoke will guarantee you'll need to replace the rear pinion bearing. It Brinnels the bearing race, and you'll have a noise, and very rapid pinion bearing wear. Use a 2-jaw puller with the jackscrew pushing against the center of the pinion gear, where you just removed the nut. You'll be able to replace the front bearing cone, but not the cup, and replace the grease seal. Any further disassembly will require either removing the pinion carrier if there's a ring of bolts holding it into the main carrier housing, or removing the whole center section if the pinion does not have its own housing. Be sure to save the gasket and whatever shims are behind the pinion carrier- - - -that's how the pinion gear depth is set on some rear ends.
Jerry

hey again,
i got the yoke off finally after a good beating with the deadblow and some wood.i got the front seal off but i munched the rear seal while doing so.i took off the whole pinion carrier to pop out the inner seal from the other side but it seems as if the pinion is pressed in there?any ideas of getting that pinion out of the carrier? Do i have to replace the bearings as well?when i took off the carrier, there were only shims, no gasket.Is this normal? I saved the shims.
Dan

Yes, the shims act as a gasket on some applications. Just use a little brush-on Permatex sealer to prevent seepage between the shims as you reassemble it. Sometimes the front bearing cone is a TIGHT slip fit on the pinion gear, so a press is a good idea unless you want to risk damaging the bearings with more hammering. You'll probably find the rear bearing cone is a tight press fit onto the pinion gear. The bearing cups will be pressed into the housing you just removed. Once you've got the pinion out of the housing, wash and inspect the bearing cones and cups. If they don't have score marks or flat spots, you can probably reassemble the unit with just a new seal. Why did you take it apart in the first place- - - -noise, or just leakage?

There's a process called "preloading" the bearings, where you tighten the yoke nut until there's a specified amount of drag as the pinion turns in the housing- - - -measured in inch-pounds, so don't overtighten the nut! If you can find a factory service manual, most of them show a pretty good step-by-step procedure for disassembly, inspection, and reassembly.
Jerry

i took it apart because i had major leakage/spray while driving.i just need to get the pinion pressed out of the cage so i can replace the seals, inspect the bearings and then press the whole mess back together.
Dan