Breakdown of differential tools I use to ensure success

Blackjack

Blackjack

Evil Winch Doctor
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In preparing for doing some differential training I figured I would lay out some of the tools I use for working on diffs and cover them in no specific order.

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Measuring:
You must have these tools if you want to be successful in setting up ring and pinions.
Dial Caliper (no digital crap for me get a dial caliper and learn to read it), Dial indicator on magnetic base, Dial type inch pound torque wrench and Foot Pound torque wrench.

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Striking and prying. When it come to hitting things dead blow is the only way to go. Small and large ball peen, and a few size mallets work for me. The long shiny punch is actually a shaft from a shock absorber and the other is brass. That pry bar is the gear guy’s secret weapon. That is a die setters bar Ken Tool 7037 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JGH8H6W?tag=wranglerorg-20 and allows you to pull the toughest diffs out by leveraging from the pinion head and once you use one you never be without. Also good for other prying shit as well.
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And then there is pushing and pulling stuff. If you do enough of this you will want to invest in these tools. Medium bearing knife, clamshell puller, Dana axle seal installer, differential specific race installer and a 20-30 ton press.

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There are a few other tools I will add later as I use them. Yes some of these are expensive and hard to justify for the occasional use. I know that some clubs will invest in these and either have them for loan or hold wrench fests and will knock a couple rigs at a time out.
 
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Nice list. A couple of things I need to get (bearing knife and Dana seal tool). I also much prefer the dial type caliper.

I haven't seen the dial type torque wrench (I have click and bar styles). Is the dial type more accurate? I see you have an OTC dial type wrench. Do you recommend that brand?

One thing is not there; 3/4" impact. I couldn't have crushed the pinion sleeve on the AAM 11.5 I did last winter with out one.
 
Woodrow said:
I haven't seen the dial type torque wrench (I have click and bar styles). Is the dial type more accurate?
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The dial type is used to measure torque, rather than to indicate when you've reached a specific torque. If you want to check how much resistive torque you have at the yoke, you use a dial or beam torque wrench.
 
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Woodrow said:
I see you have an OTC dial type wrench. Do you recommend that brand?
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I'm not answering for Blackjack - just giving my own input. Four of my seven torque wrenches, including my in-lb dial wrench (CDI #301LDINSS), are made by CDI Torque Products, a Snap-on related company. I really like that brand.

As for OTC, I have no experience with their torque wrenches, but there are a lot of OTC products in my shop. To me, they are a trusted brand, too. They may actually buy CDI and re-brand them. I think CDI supplies to a lot of tool brands.
 
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And Blackjack - you made me spend more money! I just bought the one item in your list that's not in one of my tool boxes:

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Die Bars! I never thought I'd see them in a Jeep forum. I don't have any, but used to manage a tool room that built and repaired injection molds. Every one of my moldmakers had a nice selection of those bars. Make sense that you use them to remove a diff.
 
Woodrow said:
Nice list. A couple of things I need to get (bearing knife and Dana seal tool). I also much prefer the dial type caliper.

I haven't seen the dial type torque wrench (I have click and bar styles). Is the dial type more accurate? I see you have an OTC dial type wrench. Do you recommend that brand?
sab said:
The dial type is used to measure torque, rather than to indicate when you've reached a specific torque. If you want to check how much resistive torque you have at the yoke, you use a dial or beam torque wrench.
Click to expand...

sab said:
I'm not answering for Blackjack - just giving my own input. Four of my seven torque wrenches, including my in-lb dial wrench (CDI #301LDINSS), are made by CDI Torque Products, a Snap-on related company. I really like that brand.

As for OTC, I have no experience with their torque wrenches, but there are a lot of OTC products in my shop. To me, they are a trusted brand, too. They may actually buy CDI and re-brand them. I think CDI supplies to a lot of tool brands.
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sab is on the money here. While a beam type will get the job done a dial type is easier to read and more accurate. I use OTC because it was a available at the time but there are plenty of other brands that will more than suffice.
 
sab said:
And Blackjack - you made me spend more money! I just bought the one item in your list that's not in one of my tool boxes:

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Always glad to help others part with their money.

flyinfish said:
If you want to save almost twenty bucks, Zoro has it for $33.99 (+10% off first order)

https://www.zoro.com/ken-tool-die-setter-bar-30-7037/i/G2925533/

Big fan of Zoro, they're a great company to do business with.
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That is good to know. I do not use Zoro much as they do not always like shipping to Alaska but they definitely do things well.
 
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Mike_H said:
Die Bars! I never thought I'd see them in a Jeep forum. I don't have any, but used to manage a tool room that built and repaired injection molds. Every one of my moldmakers had a nice selection of those bars. Make sense that you use them to remove a diff.
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First time I saw one being used I could not purchase one fast enough.
 
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ok, why the dial type? Do you just not trust the digitals to read correctly?

I "grew up" so to speak on dial calipers but my eyes aren't what they used to be. My problem with reading them isn't the technical know-how, it's seeing the damned thing.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
ok, why the dial type? Do you just not trust the digitals to read correctly?
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I'm curious, as well. I've used vernier (you wanna talk about learning to read one!), dial, and digital over the years. I have about a dozen micrometers and calipers of various sizes. Regarding digitals, I have mitutoyo for precision, and cheapies for non-precision.
 
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Another FYI - regarding torque wrench calibration. I've had stellar service using these North Dakota-based folks who specialize in torque calibration:

https://www.teamtorque.com/

It's not cheap to do a re-cal (about $109, which includes return shipping, for most automotive-type wrenches), but they know their stuff, and the are quick. I recently had three re-cals done, and one of them was my latest acquisition - a 100-700 ft-lb, 3/4" drive, 4 foot long monster that a neighbor traded me for some welding I did. He used to go to military auctions and re-sell to the surplus industry, and he has trailers full of stuff left over form when he retired. This wrench had been sitting for decades. I cleaned it up, sent it up to them, and for less than $200, I now have a trustable torque wrench for big, big nuts that would cost me five times that new. Turn-around time was about a week!
 
freedom_in_4low said:
ok, why the dial type? Do you just not trust the digitals to read correctly?

I "grew up" so to speak on dial calipers but my eyes aren't what they used to be. My problem with reading them isn't the technical know-how, it's seeing the damned thing.
Click to expand...

I loathe any tool that uses coin cell batteries.

sab said:
I'm curious, as well. I've used vernier (you wanna talk about learning to read one!), dial, and digital over the years. I have about a dozen micrometers and calipers of various sizes. Regarding digitals, I have mitutoyo for precision, and cheapies for non-precision.
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I learned on Vernier calipers and micrometers. Lately I spoil myself with a dual dial https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/37530797 so I do not have to own both a standard and metric.
 
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sab said:
I bought mine off eBay for about $42 shipped, and I would have shared the link, but there was only one left in that listing. I've been weary of Zoro for no particular reason. They are legit?
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Zoro is absolutely legit - at least the multiple times we've used them at work.
 
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sab said:
I bought mine off eBay for about $42 shipped, and I would have shared the link, but there was only one left in that listing. I've been weary of Zoro for no particular reason. They are legit?
Click to expand...

They're a solid company! They like a Grainger/McMaster Carr although they sell in even more categories. Look at their menu from home page and that's just part of what they sell.
 
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