I'm thinking about replacing the clutch packs in a 8.8" Traction Lok out of a 99 F150. From what I've read, you open up the rear end, remove the c clips to pull the axles out, then pull out the S springs, and get the spider gears out to replace all the friction plates on both sides. My question is, do you really need to pull the carrier out of the housing, or can you do all this with it still in the rear end? Any help would be appreciated.

 

This rear is built such that you cannot pull the whole assembly out as one unit.
So far you have it correct with the S spring and C clip removable.
The hard part will be getting the S spring back into place.
I invented a tool to make this easy but won't help you much unless you take the time to make one.
The truck S spring is heavier than in a car with the same 8.8 rear.
It puts the pressure in the clutch discs.
The drag guys use the truck spring in the cars as well as play games with the clutch stack-up to get nearly a solid action with slick tires.
I reccomend you get the info on doing the job so there are no surprises.
If you end up taking the carrier out, you must keep track of where the shim stacks came from for each side because this sets the ring to pinion back-lash by the stacks total thickness on each side as well as loads the carrier bearings.
I would check the backlash before dissassembly to see if it is within the +/- tolerence.
If not, the shim thickness would have to be changes on both sides.
The shims are dealer items and sometimes have to be ordered. They are color coded for thickness and a chart is available as a reference.
This requires a dial indicator and mounting to check and set these clearences.
Good luck.

 

http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/5o...5ohtech001.htm
This is the how to My son and I used to rebuild his f/s Bronco. Idid alot of searching and it's the best!
Good luck!

 

Thanks for the link, this answers about all my questions. From reading it, it seems like I should be able to do everything I want to (replace friction clutch packs) without having to take the carrier out of the housing, which is what I want to do. From rebuilding one yourself, does this seem feasible to you?

 

Yea but... It's not that hard to pull the carrier and it makes it MUCH easier to work on. Imo you will have to go through alot more acrobatics with it in. I'd pull it myself.
Just put all the shims back on the sides they came from and you'll be ok. and DO replace the bolt for the spider shaft.
If you don't have your parts, we got ours from Summit racing I think the clutch pack was like $75 and they have everything you need. Bout 2 day delivery too!
Good luck let us know how it goes.

 

The axles right now have the 12mm wheel studs, and while I have the axles out I want to put the 14mm studs in. The brake rotor holes are large enough for the 14mm, but I was wondering if the holes in the axles are too. Anybody know anything about this?

 

Anyone?

 

So I got the Traction-Lok rebuilt today. Upgrading to the 14MM studs didn't work out because they were 3 hundredths of an inch to wide for the hole. Other than that I didn't run into any trouble. I let the friction plates soak in the modifier for 2 1/2 hours and still got a few scraping and popping noises for the first 50 feet.

 

Congrats-wasn't that bad was it?

 

No it wasn't as hard as I had imagined. Now I'm just hoping it doesn't leak, then we're golden! Thanks again for that site, it made all the difference

 

You're welcome, it saved me a bunch too!

 

So I finally got around to using my un-scientific test of the rear end, jacking up the rear axle with truck in park, and turning a wheel to judge how strong the trac-lok is, and it is significantly less than before I rebuilt it. The Ford Racing kit I got only had .040 shims in it as the biggest, which I put in. I seem to remember, though, that people usually have .045 shims in the rear end. Would this make a big difference, and would it be worth buying them and taking it apart again to put in?

 

If you look back at the article for the how to (post #3) I think it says stacking order makes a difference.

 

No, stacking order isn't the problem. I stacked them just the way that is recommended for the best performance with 3 friction clutches, and it was the same order that the ones I took out were in. The problem I think is the thickness of the shim, which would put the gears closer to the S-spring and make a difference. I just wonder if I should take it apart again to put in thicker shims.

 

Could there is no re-setup required, or maybe double up on the end shim. If you still have the old shims just measure them to get the thickness/combination you want.