Front 10 Bolt Teardown / Rebuild PICTURES!

[x ReAcT x]

Now that the cone washers are free, remove them and the steering arm. Make sure to back these washers, you dont want to misplace them. (In the past I lost one and it was a pain to find a replacement)

[x ReAcT x]

Next we are going to remove both of the brake calipers. The surplus axle didnt come with brake lines or fluid so its fairly easy. Start by turning the knuckle as far forward as possible too expose the 2 allen bolts securing the caliper in place. Grab your allen wrench and get to work. These bolts put up a fight but with a slight tap of the mallet they come right off.

[Mr. 250r]

The death wobble is also conveniently available for the ball joint axles as well but in my opinion the king pin is way more susceptible to it for some reason which could be good or bad depending on which axle you have as far as the surplus army axle i had a magazine that had axles in it and they looked basically the way yours is i think its probably from sitting around in different environments will eventually cause some surface rust or its got good use lol

[x ReAcT x]

Once you get the 2 allen head bolts off you can then pull of the entire caliper assembly. Since these had been concealed in a box since 1987 and havent ever had any brake lines attached I figured the brake piston inlet would be full of rust and decay. At least there was a tiny plug keeping water and debri out, and to my luck not spec of rust inside. So ill hit these with the sandblaster and spray them with hi-temp red paint and throw them back on later.

[x ReAcT x]

So before we go any further we need to drain the axle housing. If your axle isnt connected to the truck the best way to drain it would be to take out the fill plug and tip it forward so it can drain out. (The drain plug is easily taken off with a 3/4" 12pt. socket) If your axle is still connected to the truck then you will have to remove all 10 bolts (hence they call it a 10 bolt) that tightly secure the differential cover. (The bolts are easily removed with a 1/2 socket) Be sure to have a drip pan underneath ready to go because as soon as you loosen that diff cover its gonna pour out and make a mess.

[DirtyLarry]

Hehe, my favorite part is the thorough instructions as how to remove a cotter pin. Aren’t those military surplus Blazer axles a horrible gear ratio like 3:08 or something? I guess that is not an issue if you are regearing while you are at it.





Actually, you shouldn’t beat on the joint itself but tap the knuckle it is seated into. Beating on the joint itself is just a good way to ruin it regardless if the nut is on the threads or not.

I’m going through the same motions as you this week but rebuilding a 1978 D44 and 10.5 14 bolt FF for my Suburban. Right now D44 is in bits while I am cleaning and painting everything while I wait for the new ball joints to arrive. It is a lot of work getting these axles whipped back into shape.

BTW, “death wobble” has nothing to do with the fact an axle has kingpins or ball joints. “Death wobble” is more prevalent on axles with heavy wheel-end weight. By wheel-end weight, I mean the weight of components outside of the knuckle pivots. If you think about how heavy king pin type D60 wheel ends are (big knuckles, large spindles, big hubs, heavy rotors, etc) is why it is more prevent on them vs. a smaller and lighter D44 or Corp 10 bolt. “Death wobble” is born from a stack up of tolerances. Basically, a joint here on the outer spec limit, a joint there on the outer spec limit of acceptable play, then a wheel bearing a bit loose, a spring bushing (or 4) that are worn, too much tire, etc, etc, etc exaggerated by heavy wheel-ends. …. start stacking things like that up is where the issue comes from once the front end gets excited into the wobbly resonance. Invest in a good steering stabilizer and call it a day.

[x ReAcT x]

Yea the gear ratio on these things is horrible, 3.08. Im swapping them with my 3.42's which isnt much better but itll do.
Your are correct about tapping the top of the bolt, im glad i never had to reuse the ball joints that i hammered out that way. Ill make sure to edit that post
Good luck on your rebuild, front axles are such a pain. I definitely wish i had a D44 though, they have such a better aftermarket for beefing them up.

[x ReAcT x]

So removal all 10 bolts and take the cover off. I also recommend bagging these bolts also. This particular diff cover had 2 gaskets and I was able to rip most of it off but not enough. So ill have to come back with a razor and remove the rest.

[x ReAcT x]

I have this little tool with a razor edge that will work perfect to remove the gasket. It cleaned up very well that way I can put a brand new gasket on.