What size does it take to put the nuts back on correctly, and what should they be torqued to? I was told at a local brake shop they just tight them down and then back them off 1/8 of a turn is what they told me. Reputable, long time local shop. Can anyone help me out here? O'Reilly's doesn't have the correct sized socket to borrow, but wanna get this done. 1973 F250 4x4 Highboy (if if matters). Thanks, Guys!

 

Don't know the socket size. But local shop is right. That's the way I've been doing it for a number of decades.

 

Rear is a thin wall 2 9/16. Front is a 4 point hub socket.

FRONT- Dana 44 front-If your truck has half ton internal hubs, chances are you have the three piece spindle nuts. The inner nut sets the tension on the bearing. The lock washer slides down the slot on the spindle and a pin on the inner nut goes in a hole in the lock washer, and the outer nut holds it all in place. Sometimes, you get lucky and that lock washer slides right down and the pin in the nut goes right in a hole in the lock washer, sometimes it doesn't. Some Ford Dana 44s use a self locking spindle nut that does not require aligning the pin and makes installation much easier.

If you have the 3 piece spindle nut, a good trick is to try the lock washer and if it doesn't line up, flip it over and try the other side. The holes are lined up a bit different when the lock washer is flipped over. Often this will do the trick, but sometimes nothing seems to work. Especially, if you are trying to fix a broken axle on the trail.

The Ford spindle nuts eliminate these problems. The Ford spindle nut ratchets down and locks on every click. You can set the perfect load on the bearing with no worries of aligning the pin. You have to press in on the spindle socket to engage the teeth in the ratcheting nut. Works a bit different, but easy enough. The only down side to the Ford nuts is the cost. They run about $15.50 brand new at the Ford dealership. The jobber price is probably a lot better than that, but most of us, like myself, have to pay retail. It probably is not too hard to get the nuts at the junk yard, but to save time, I just purchased two nuts brand new at the dealership. My local dealership had them in stock, so there was no waiting. When I went to the dealership, I asked for the nuts for a '94 Ford F-150. I'm not sure what range of vehicles they might have been used in. The Ford part number is E7TZ-1A134-A. One thing I had to do with the Ford spindle nut is remove some material on the tab that slides in the slot in the spindle. I guess the Ford spindle has a wider slot it it. I did this with an air cut off tool, but a file or a hack saw would work.
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REAR- Dana 60 full floater - Rear wheel bearing adjusting nut - 50 -80 ft lbs, back off 1/4 - 3/8 turn. (Check for play). Lock washer - bend a tab or two over the adjusting nut, or use the same bent ones in the same place. Wheel bearing locknut - 90 - 110 ft lbs. Axle shaft retaining bolts - 40 - 50 ft lbs. Between 65 and 75 ft lbs.. spin... tighten.. repeat.. repeat... repeat... until torqued, then back off 1/4 turn... put on lock washer.. put on second nut.. torque to spec.. then bend tabs over both nuts.. in either direction.. in at least two places on each nut.

2 9/16 thinwall axle nut socket...1/2 inch drive, I bought mine at oriellys out of their catalog. This one is for those of us with Dana 60/70's. The usual spindle nut set of 3 pieces (a nut, washer with tabs to fold over, and another nut) usually work alright, but there is an easier way to go. Old Ford part # E8TZ-1A124-A, new # 8C3Z1A124A $46.55 EACH is all three of those in one. It is a one piece ratcheting style locknut that all you have to do is torque down and go. It takes a 4 prong style spindle nut socket. I have them on my front 60 and rear 70 and they work great.

 

Thanks for the reply's. Now, I need to learn what rear end and front end is in my truck. Any easy way to identify them? I am thinking they are the original units 1973 Ford F250 highboy 4x4.

 

Ever get deep into the red read 1st threads? https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ml#post1437578

Highboy 101 https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...mpilation.html

I'd guess you have for a front axle low pinion closed axle Dana 44 (with big style hubs) and a rear D60.

 

to be clear - the rear D60 nut takes a 2 9/16" ROUND HEX socket.


A regular 2 9/16" socket will not work.



Front or rear, I tighten to about 80 ft-lbs while rotating the inner, then back off 1/4 turn.

Just snugging up the front and then backing off will not properly seat the bearing cone and also would provide more clearance than should be present.

 

X2 on that, sorry if I was not clear. I would rent the rear from most any auto parts store that does that. And purchase the front, since you can tend to get into that axle more often.

 

^^x3 on the 2-9/16R. I got mine cheap off eBay. They're also good for seating the front seal into the timing cover...

 

I couldn't find a socket in a town of 65k plus, except Snap On. I borrowed one, finally, and ordered my own off of ebay for the future repairs. I appreciate all the good info.

 

Don't mean to be the new guy correcting the more experienced, but I see some discrepancies I'd like to point out.



Local shop is not right according to the book (at least the Hayne's. I don't have the Ford book in front of me), but the fact that smle has been doing it that way without any failures means that it's certainly one way of doing it.
I've seen lots of variations on the theme work successfully, but I still do it by the book.
As 77&79 stated below, for the rear at least. (but with a slight exception)

I believe you should check clearance after the lock nut is torqued. Not 100% sure about the rear since I've only done it a few times and don't remember the result, but the book says to check after the final torque. And, at least in the front, this does make a difference in the final free-play.

Correct in part too, but according to my reference at least, the fronts and rears are adjusted differently and yours seems to be a mix of the two.

As you can see mopar, there are some variations! But they seem to work.


I will say from my experience with they way others do it, there must be some leeway in the factory settings or we'd be seeing more failures than we do. Can't say I've ever seen one fail when done like what the others here have described (though I have seen failures when done incorrectly by too big a margin), but some of the above are not exactly like the books either. At least not the ones I've used say they should be.

According to Hayne's then:

For the rear full-floater, you do indeed do as F250 quoted above. But as mentioned, I believe you should only check for bearing free-play after the final outer lock nut has been installed. If it's anything like the front, the locking nut torque will change the free-play at least slightly. In the front, the difference is HUGE!

For the Dana 44 fronts:

1. The inner adjusting nut (with the little pin facing out) is torqued to 50 lbs while spinning the wheel or hub.
2. Then back off 1/4 turn. (don't check free-play at this point or you'll be shocked at how loose it is)
3. Install lock ring so that the pin fits into one of the holes. (If flipping the washer still does not line up a hole, you can reach in with a finger or tool and turn the inner nut slightly to align. Does not usually take much and I've found that it doesn't matter whether you turn it in the loosening or tightening direction.)
4. Tighten outer lock nut to 80-110 lbs. (have seen specs from 70 all the way to 150 lbs, but most often the 80-110 spec)

The bottom line is that you're shooting for a free-play measurement of from .001" to .010" on both the front and rear.
As mentioned, especially in the front, you should not check for free play until the outer locking nut is fully torqued. The difference in play is in the front at least is IMMENSE!
Backing off 90° on the inner adjusting nut results in a huge amount of slop. Torquing the outer nut down takes it almost all away. Hence not bothering to check until after the final torque.
I've used dial indicators on multiple setups and have always found the play falling right into spec afterwards. My '71 EB would fall right at .005" to .006" every time. The D60 on my '79 would too. Only used a dial-indicator once on that one though.

So not saying any of the others are leading you astray. They've likely got more experience doing it than I do and they don't seem to have had any problems doing it their way. But I've found a lot of discrepancies over the years except when you do it by the book. The only variations I've seen there are the final torque rating. Otherwise they all agree on the overall procedure for the front axle.
So if it's an option for you, the first time you do yours I would verify the final free-play if you can.

Paul