[Tom Endy]

I would not rely on the gaskets you found in place as being correct for proper pre-load. Who ever had it apart before may not have set the pre-load correctly. A few years ago suppliers were selling rebuild gasket kits supplied with two .010 banjo gaskets. Most people put one on each side and bolted it up without any thought to pre-load. This was the cause of many carrier bearings being spun on their hubs.

You did not mention if you replaced the two pinion bearings and the double race, To do the job properly you should replace all four tapered roller bearings, the two single races, the double race, and all three axle\drive shaft seals.

There are three settings that should be considered, and in the following sequence.

1. the carrier bearing pre-load, done by selecting the quantity and thickness of banjo gaskets.

2. The pinion bearing pre-load, done by properly adjusting the two large nuts on the pinion gear sleeve. The nominal setting for both settings is 20 in lbs.

3. The backlash between the ring and pinion gears, done by shifting the previously selected banjo gaskets right and left.

Usually when rebuilding the differential it is quite common to find the carrier bearings spun on the mounting hubs. My experience is about 3 out of 4 are spun. This requires either replacement of the carrier, or knurling of the existing. Often there is not enough material left to knurl. I keep a supply of knurled carriers in stock and exchange them when found spun. It is usually necessary to put shims under the new bearings on a knurled carrier to compensate for material spun from the bearing stop. Bratton' stocks them in .005 thickness. I have had to stack as many as three on a given carrier to achieve proper pre-load.

All the information you need to rebuild the rear axle assembly is in the dissertation several people above have commented on. It is on the Orange County Model A Club web site. You are welcome to down load it, print it out, and use it.

Tom Endy