Outer Limits 4x4 Board

1983 HJ60 rear pinion bearing is shagged. Been quoted $950 to replace "all" the bearings and lap it by diff lapping at kedron. Centre is 6 year old air leaker done about 50,000klms. Seems a bit steep to me? Anyone in brisbane who does this kind of work??

Try this place. They do my comp truck diffs for me.

Diff & Gearbox Industries
Unit 2, 280 Newmarket RD, Wilston, QLD, 4051
3356 8397

Thanks I'll try for the morning

Just spoke to him. Love to use him he seems to really know his stuff but price is similar. Not sure what to do yet.

He use to work for diff lapping but went on his own. Top bloke.

Those prices are rediculous, especially since all they are supplying is a bearing kit and re-using your old gears and centre. If you can pull the centre and drop it off it should save, myself and mates have done that and had diffs done for 300-350 incl bearings.

If it is a solid pinion spacer diff and $$ are tight you could do it yourself and just tighten it all back to how it was originally built if the gears have not worn much.

He asked how I got his number. I told him a bloke from a 4wd forum who has comp hilux from deception bay.

The latest guy said if I pull it out around $660 reusing centre obviously. Said could be around the $1300 mark if it needs a new crownwheel. But he said he could tell me what it needed and consult me before working on it whereas the first guy said $950 drive in drive out and didn't tell me what that included but I gathered it was just the bearings and a lap.

lap= lap dance? haha have a go at it yourself mate it isnt hard.

Maybe he's buying he's own lap dances with my moola....

Anyways got a loan of another vehicle to drive so me and a mate will pull it out this weekend.

it cost me $550 to get the rear diff in my HJ60 rebuilt (bearings lap, didnt touch LSD) about 4 years ago! and i pulled it and dropped it off.

so id say 650 is about right.

be prepared to waste alot of time setting up the gear mesh if you try to do it yourself. It can be an art to get the mesh right. And if they need lapping, your going to waste yiour time, not be able to get a good mesh, and then pay the $650 anyway.


if its been driven on a dodgy pinion bearing for too long it will probably need to be lapped.

So the price isn't too bad then, thanks. Hopefully pull it out this weekend. I won't try to set it up myself though beyond my skills and patience I think.

more info on this Laping service please....

if the case hardening has worn off the teeth your just wasting your time and money...

Ice wrote:more info on this Laping service please....

if the case hardening has worn off the teeth your just wasting your time and money...

my understanding is that they are through hardened, not case hardened.

Fingers crossed it will be ok. Didn't get to it last weekend hopefully this weekend. It's starting to warm up in Brissy so wouldn't mind something to drive with a/c

Pulled it out last night with cal8544. Crown wheel looks good. Friend of a friend said he'll do it for a couple of hundred cash so looks like the best option ATM.

Gears will have a thin outer layer of higher carbon and or nitrogen (case carburising, nitriding or carbonitridinge etc) that is much much harder than the base steel. They could be through hardened as well but it will still be much softer under the case hardened region. You need that for wear surfaces on gears, CVs etc.

BJMorgo wrote:Gears will have a thin outer layer of higher carbon and or nitrogen (case carburising, nitriding or carbonitridinge etc) that is much much harder than the base steel. They could be through hardened as well but it will still be much softer under the case hardened region. You need that for wear surfaces on gears, CVs etc.

so explain what they do when they lap a diff gearset, and why it doesnt expolode the moment you load it up?

For the record I ended up getting my pinion bearing, flange and a few other things replaced as well as lapped up for $380 quiter now than it ever has been.

SCANAS wrote:For the record I ended up getting my pinion bearing, flange and a few other things replaced as well as lapped up for $380 quiter now than it ever has been.

bargain.