I have a 1969 800a with an axle problem. According to my line set ticket my rear axle is a Dana 44 ra23 tapered axle. I was cleaning and redoing the brakes recently and I took off the brake backing plate on my passenger side and noticed the axle shaft was pretty loose. I just pulled the axle out (by hand) and saw what looked like a rusted out shim around the bearing sleeve. I am very new to this and am learning as I go. I am assuming this is not factory and was just a shade tree fix to a problem. The shim looks like a hacksaw blade cut to size and inserted (see pics). When I put the axle back in without the shim it has a fair amount of wiggle. What is the best fix for this situation? This will not be a daily driver but I would like to take road trips in this eventually.
1969 800A Dana 44 Rear RA23 Tapered
- Thread starter kkorn75
- Start date
Robert Kenney
Super Moderator
I would want to know if the bearing is correct, and that the housing is not wasted from spinning a bearing at some time during its life.
It would be most likely that the bearing is incorrect. If the housing is worn oversized in a nice round circle it would be odd.
If the bearing is correct and the housing is that far oversized, you would need to sleeve it down to the correct size.
Have you pulled the other side out?
It would be most likely that the bearing is incorrect. If the housing is worn oversized in a nice round circle it would be odd.
If the bearing is correct and the housing is that far oversized, you would need to sleeve it down to the correct size.
Have you pulled the other side out?
The bearing housing/sleave is not wasted, bought a new one, but I think the bearing is. It (the bearing) moves front to back a lot more than the other axle bearing does. I got my micrometer out and the axle shafts are off. The driver side is 3.156" (80.10mm) and the passenger side is 32.36" (82.45mm).
I will post some pics tomorrow. I guess I need to sleeve it 2.35mm. Are there any ideas on where to get these sleeves or material so the shafts are the correct size? Also do I need to weld this in or just insert it, hammer it home? Not looking to buy new axle if I don't have to.
I will post some pics tomorrow. I guess I need to sleeve it 2.35mm. Are there any ideas on where to get these sleeves or material so the shafts are the correct size? Also do I need to weld this in or just insert it, hammer it home? Not looking to buy new axle if I don't have to.Here are the pictures of both sides and their measurements. You can see the difference between the two sides. The passenger side has a groove in it from the hacksaw blade shim. Does anyone know where to get a bushing that is about 82 mm od and 80 mm id, also will this work and be safe? Just looking for general opinions at this point.
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I've seen some shade tree, but that hacksaw shim takes the cake. Nicely done though.
Those bearings fit on a taper on the shaft that matches the taper on the bearing's inner bore. You do not press them on, but after time in service they sometimes need a press to get them off.
Disassemble the axle end and with every thing really clean, get some numbers off the bearings; or post pictures of the shaft's condition and some of the bearings too.
Something looks really fishy about having to have that huge a shim in the axle end. There are ways to restore those axle ends.
Those bearings fit on a taper on the shaft that matches the taper on the bearing's inner bore. You do not press them on, but after time in service they sometimes need a press to get them off.
Disassemble the axle end and with every thing really clean, get some numbers off the bearings; or post pictures of the shaft's condition and some of the bearings too.
Something looks really fishy about having to have that huge a shim in the axle end. There are ways to restore those axle ends.
When they get that bad we usually chop the end off and weld on a new one. A jig is required to make sure everything gets put back correctly. See this posting on pictures of jig setup.
http://forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/showpost.php?p=55954&postcount=5
http://forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/showpost.php?p=55954&postcount=5
Chappie, what Jeff said is one option and the best one.
What I've also done is use an industrial epoxy kit. I had some pucks made to the exact dimensions of a wheel bearing's outer race. I then roughed up the bearing counter bore in the axle end. I put release agent on the pucks and areas in the axle end I didn't want the epoxy to stick to such as the seal area and bore. I mixed up the epoxy and layered it in and then put the pucks in and let it cure overnight. Next day I was able to pull the pucks out and what was left was a nice smooth bore. I chipped away the "flash" from squished epoxy and cleaned it up. New seals, and the new bearings fit tight like brand new. It's been running for years and so far so good.
Cost? It ran me about $150 for the epoxy and pucks. New axle ends the last time I priced the work ran about the same. However it saved me from r/r'in the axle and 2 75 mile round trips to a shop I trusted to do the work correctly.
What I've also done is use an industrial epoxy kit. I had some pucks made to the exact dimensions of a wheel bearing's outer race. I then roughed up the bearing counter bore in the axle end. I put release agent on the pucks and areas in the axle end I didn't want the epoxy to stick to such as the seal area and bore. I mixed up the epoxy and layered it in and then put the pucks in and let it cure overnight. Next day I was able to pull the pucks out and what was left was a nice smooth bore. I chipped away the "flash" from squished epoxy and cleaned it up. New seals, and the new bearings fit tight like brand new. It's been running for years and so far so good.
Cost? It ran me about $150 for the epoxy and pucks. New axle ends the last time I priced the work ran about the same. However it saved me from r/r'in the axle and 2 75 mile round trips to a shop I trusted to do the work correctly.