Differential Carrier Shim Driver Tool for Dana 44 Axles

Setting up a differential means shimming the carrier until backlash and bearing preload are both right, and that is where a lot of jobs go sideways. The thick carrier shims have to go into the housing saddle under real interference, and hammering them in with a brass drift folds an edge, scores the face, or shaves a few thousandths off the very shim you just measured. Once a shim is bent you are buying another one and starting the pattern over. This driver gives you a flat, sized face that spreads the blow across the whole shim so it goes in square.

Part number YT SD-01. The set covers the rear ends most shops see: GM 7.5 inch, 8.2 inch, 8.5 inch, 8.6 inch, 12-bolt passenger and 12-bolt truck, Ford 7.5 inch, 8.8 inch, 9.75 inch, 10.25 inch and 10.5 inch, AMC Model 35, Dana 44HD and the Dana 44 JK front and rear. Because the drivers are matched to the shim outer diameter rather than to one axle part number, it also works on other Dana and AMC housings that share those shim sizes.

On the bench the sequence is straightforward. Set your pinion depth, install the carrier with setup bearings, check backlash, then pick the shim stack that gets you into spec. With the carrier in the housing, start the shim by hand, seat the matching driver flat on the shim edge, and tap it home with a dead blow. Because the driver contacts the full arc of the shim instead of one point, the shim slides in without cocking and you can still pull it back out to re-measure if the backlash reading comes up short. Repeat on the opposite side to set carrier bearing preload.

The drivers store in a molded case, roughly 3.25 lb shipped. This is a setup tool, not a substitute for a dial indicator and a pinion depth gauge, but it is the piece that keeps the shims you measured from changing thickness on the way in.