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I am looking for advice and guidance on rebuilding a Dana 25 front axle. The small pinion and the gears the axles slide into are toast. The main ring and gear show no damage.

I have never dealt with anything inside the pumpkin before so I have no idea what I am getting into. I see lots of replacement parts by vendors I know to stay away from so I am looking for a good source for the parts.

I have read about the shimming of the ring and the main gear but that part seems good. Am I able to just remove the broken smaller parts and reassemble and put it all back together using the existing shimming.

Should I stay with new parts only or can I use take out small pinion gears and the larger Axle gears. I have plenty of Dana front axles laying around.

Do i just take the axle to a professional rebuilder and pay the bill? I can do all the knuckle work.

I will rebuild the king pins, and all the bearings on the outer ends and will be putting disk brakes on the as well.

Any and all input welcome. is my approach wrong?

Thanks,

Robert

It always helps your listeners to know what model jeep you are talking about. One easy way to do that is to include the model and year in your signature where you can also be more friendly and list your first name. Just open your profile and add the signature information.

I think once you review the appropriate manuals for the axle assembly overhaul you'll realize that some special tooling is needed and a certain level of mechanical aptitude/experience is also needed. Keep in mind that these manual choices include civilian manuals which often have more info than the military manuals.


M38




Or the M38A1




And don't overlook the actual Dana-Spicer manuals: https://media.spicerparts.com/cfs/files ... e=original

All parts both new and used must pass a good detailed visual inspection and a dimensional check

Axles and automatic transmission seem to hold a special nitch in our world where most of us do not care to fool with them and prefer to get it done right the first time so to speak! So off to the shop they go.

Hi Robert,

I rebuilt nearly everything on my jeep, but sent these off to a shop. As Wes stated, some special tooling is needed to do it right. I provided the parts, but found it pretty reasonable to have done.

Sounds like you have a high class problem.... if you have "plenty of front axles" lying about, why not find a unit with a good looking center section and transfer your other parts (axles, knuckles, brakes, etc) to the better center section axle.

I find if you pull off the cover, drain the oil and sludge, then alternately fill/soak/flush/drain it a few times with diesel it cleans them up enough to get a good look at the innards. Put the axle on a couple of saw horses so you can easily roll it from pinion-down to pinion-up positions. A C-clamp holds it in the position you want for draining and filling.

Like Wes and Bob, the center section is a hands off area for me - reserved for professionals with the right tools. But all the stuff outbound of the pumpkin is rebuildable easy-peasy with a manual and this forum to hand.

I'd go fishing in your plentiful pile!
Jeff