Evaluating rear axles

[Rocketsled]

Speedy sleeves have a surface finish which is ideal for seal lips to ride on
for long life and effectiveness. As such, they are often applied to new shafts!
Fluid migration under the sleeve can be prevented by applying a little
threadlocker, or retaining compound.

[Halswell]

This thread has been of great help to me too as I'm right in the middle of building up a rear end for my coupe. I'm following Tom Endys directions as contained in Les Pearsons book and wonderful they are. Thank you Tom. Having read this thread I'm a bit confused about exactly which is the best way to face the seals. Both my parts books, Snyders and Mikes, say the open side of the seals should face towards the differential. But on reading Toms comment on this thread re the grease flow at the hub end of the axel housing it sounds like the seal there that runs on the axel should have the open side facing toward the hub. This so when grease is pumped in for the hub bearing it dosent go down past the seal and fill up the axel housing. Which is correct? Happy Motoring.

[tbirdtbird]

be advised Tom has updated his procedures and published them at a Cal. A site. Search here for the exact location, it came up in the last 2-3 weeks.

I would install the seals with the open side toward the hub as you suggested. I would also seldom if ever grease the large rear wheel Hyatt bearings via the zerk fitting; other than to hand pack them as suggested above...the grease stays in there very nicely. I have had to dig an awful lot of grease out of brakes from over-exuberant greasing

[tbirdtbird]

nice. not sure tho how that relates to today's seals which are constructed differently

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by Halswell

This thread has been of great help to me too as I'm right in the middle of building up a rear end for my coupe. I'm following Tom Endys directions as contained in Les Pearsons book and wonderful they are. Thank you Tom. Having read this thread I'm a bit confused about exactly which is the best way to face the seals. Both my parts books, Snyders and Mikes, say the open side of the seals should face towards the differential. But on reading Toms comment on this thread re the grease flow at the hub end of the axel housing it sounds like the seal there that runs on the axel should have the open side facing toward the hub. This so when grease is pumped in for the hub bearing it dosent go down past the seal and fill up the axel housing. Which is correct? Happy Motoring.

The original Ford seals were made of leather by a company called Chicago Rawhide. They had a large CR stamped on the seal. Quite often I take a real axle assembly apart and find the original seal is still there in both the axle housings and the torque tube. The leather is usually long gone and there is little or no seal left there.

I would think it important how an original seal was faced during installation so that the leather would not fold back on itself.

The modern replacement seals are made of neoprene. Documentation I have read says to face the tapered lip of the seal toward the lubrication. This creates a controversy. If you look close, there is a tapered lip in the neoprene on both sides of the seal. In addition, exactly what lubricant are they talking about, the grease in the wheel bearing or the oil in the banjo?

I personally believe it does not make any difference how the modern seals are installed. My preference is to place the seal on the insertion tool so that the open end of the metal cage is up against the stop of the tool. This means the open end would be facing me as I drive it into place. This the same for both the axle housings seals and the torque tube seal.

Remember these are grease seals not oil seals. This in itself raises a controversy as many believe they are oil seals to keep the oil in the banjo from migrating out to the brakes and up the torque tube to the U-joint.

Tom Endy

[Tom Endy]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

be advised Tom has updated his procedures and published them at a Cal. A site. Search here for the exact location, it came up in the last 2-3 weeks.

I would install the seals with the open side toward the hub as you suggested. I would also seldom if ever grease the large rear wheel Hyatt bearings via the zerk fitting; other than to hand pack them as suggested above...the grease stays in there very nicely. I have had to dig an awful lot of grease out of brakes from over-exuberant greasing

For the 2014 revised publication of my dissertation on rebuilding the Model A rear axle assembly go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California at santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor on "Technical Reference", my name will appear below, click on it and it will bring up my library of technical articles. Scroll to the 2014 revision and click. All the articles are adobe pdf files that can be downloaded and printed out.

Tom Endy

[Tom Wesenberg]

Tom, I would have thought you'd prefer the open end to face the outside, or grease side. This way when you slide the axle tube over the axle you are less likely to hit the seal and pop the spring off.

[Mitch//pa]

i always pack any seals i install with grease to prevent the spring from popping out when driving them in. it also aids with reassembly.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Yep, grease on the seal is a must. The last seal I removed was an original leather seal and instaled as the picture above shows.