Hey yall working on doing a regear on my truck, and since I needed a new front carrier, I went with the trak loc design. I am pleased how the rear one works so I figured Id get the front too. I'm thinking 4.10 gears will be fine. I got the 3.92 and up carrier bare and I have to get the guts separately and put them in. Anyone with experience with this job? Ive done the rear bearings and seals in the 8.8 and I have all the tools to do the front but have zero experience with the Dana 44. I'm hoping I don't need a case spreader, or something special tool to put in my spider gears. I have a 1995 f150 4x4 e4od 4.9 33" tires, long bed single cab, with towing package and handling package. Live in CO where I'm at least a mile high. Regular off road and winter driving.

 

Anyone? I guess I'll have to take it to a shop

 

I've never done axle gears (I was hoping someone who actually knew what they were talking about would chime in). I've certainly heard people say you can go a Dana axle without a case spreader by prying it out and pounding it in. I've also heard that it goes easier with a case spreader.

I do have a friend who changed the diff and reused the old gears in a Ford 8.8". He said he had to take the gears back out, adjust shims, and reassemble it about 12 times before he was happy with the pattern. I figure the moral of that story is don't expect it to be easy, and make sure you have the patience to do it right before you get started.

I've always figured that setting up gears is a "if you gotta ask you can't" sort of thing. No, it's not brain surgery, but while asking for hints on a bulletin board might help point you in the right direction, anyone who has the patience and skill to do it right likely has the patience and skill to figure it out.

So if you want to try, more power to ya! And if you chicken out and take it to a shop, welcome to the club!

 

Well I do feel comfortable attempting the job in the rear axle since I've already replaced all the bearings and seals. So I do have tools for bearing preload, and for measuring the backlash. But I've never attempted the front. And since the spider gears in the front trac lok don't have a spring like the rear, not sure if I can't put them in without using a tool. I'm getting a quote for the front since I can do the 8.8.

 

I've never put in a Trac-Lok differential or put gears in a TTB. I've done some Detroit lockers and True Tracs in solid axle 44s and other solid axles. If you already have all the tools to do it, it will be fairly straight forward. There's nothing terribly difficult about setting up gears. It's a lot of trial and error, patience, and time.
A quick search on YouTube, I came up with a video of a dude putting a lunchbox locker in a Dana 44 TTB, it might help you a little. Not sure if it'll answer all your questions.

 

The only part of installing a lunch box locker in a front axle that transfers to changing gears and carrier is getting the case out of the truck. Installing a lunchbox doesn't involve taking the carrier out of the case, so it avoids all of the tricky stuff.

 

Did you look at the video? He takes the carrier out of the case.