Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Hello John,


yes, the good part and your part are identical, apart from the part number.

Honestly, I wouldn't have thought to check the part before sending it out either, because how probable is it to get an altered carrier with the right number on it.
In Tom's article in the 2nd picture the right part is the correct one, with the 4 1/8 inch shoulder for the ring gear and the male pegs for centering.

I'll check your pics with my worn out part to make sure that it's the right part.
Can someone tell us if A and B used the same parts for the diff carrier?
Thanks and have a nice day,


Daniel

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Use 3 feeler gauges, spaced evenly around the housing.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

The attached article may be of additional help.

Tom Endy

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Thanks for the article. I can't imagine how much time ends you must have spent working on Model A's in your life so far. :P


It may be a dumb idea and proven to not work, but if one has a diff carrier with excessive wear from the spider gears wouldn't it be possible to use or fabricate a shim to compensate for the wear? Much like the shims for being able to set the preload on the diff if the race is pressed in too far. I think that would be an option if no new or usable diff carrier can be found.

In the US, you could just get another diff carrier of course but I would imagine that they're quite rare in Europe or Australia.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Any shims should be quite thick, or they would be ground into dust in a hurry. The spider gears only turn when the vehicle is in a turn, so shimming is not usually necessary, and they cause no noise.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

At least my old diff carrier is quite soft steel, or else I wouldn't have been able to machine it on my turning machine. If one used proper steel, lasercut the shims and surface-treated them they should last at least as long as the original diff carrier, especially as no one would abuse the diff like the farmers in the past with their belt-driven machines.
Of course, as long as good used carriers are available that won't be done because it's just not economic.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

*an eternity later*


So I finally got around to work on the A yesterday. We spent the entire day setting up the rear end with the 2nd carrier half that John sent me (again MASSIVE THANKS to John!) and getting the rear end under the car.
There are still a few smaller things to be done (tightening up the u-joint housing halves, mounting 1 shock, reattaching all brake rods) but apart from that the rear end should be good to go now.


Thanks for the help guys!

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Well, there *might* be a new problem. When assembling the rear drums on the new axles I get a scratching sound when turning the drum. It seems that the brake shoe rubs somewhere on the drum. Is that normal and not a big problem or do I need to take the brake assembly apart? I can still turn the drums by hand but there is a notable drag.


Edit: The drag is higher if I turn the drum backwards, if that is important.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

* might* have a problem, yes! It sounds like the brake shoes are not centered. Suppliers sell a brake shoe centering tool, check the tool out online for you to get ideas on how to center the shoes.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

Just a thought adjust the brakes hard up on the adjuster then back fully off and try again . This could centralise the shoes maybe not but worth a try . Could be with the new axle shafts the drums have gone on a bit further and the drum is rubbing on the backplate , If so it can be fixed by fitting an axle shim something I dont really like as I think it upsets the hub axle bond . I know people have done many thousands of miles with no problems . If the drum is only just touching I grind a smidgeon off the drum edge .Yank the emergency brake on and off see if that helps .

John in cloudy windy Suffolk County England .

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

I have axle shims, but when I use them there's no way I'll get the cotter pin inserted if I also use the axle shim between hub and nut. It seems that the drum is not rubbing on the backplate, so I'd like to go without the shims.



Honestly I doubt that centering the shoes with the drum like that works, but I'll give it a try.

If it doesn't work I'll probably just drive to the local hardware store tomorrow and get some materials to build a centering tool.

Re: Can't separate axle shaft from carrier
 

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