My rear end

[Terry, NJ]

So I told everyone about my "Trans troubles" or what I thought was jumping into two gears at once. As Highly improbable as it was, it resembled two gears at once because of the way it stopped suddenly, damn near put me through windshield! Upon looking into the trans and finding nothing wrong, I proceeded to the rear and made a discovery. The left axle makes a lot of ugly noises when you spin it. The right axle is pretty quiet. I got the rear out today and just got the left drum off and I quit. Also, when I shook the axle, both laterally and vertically it had about 1/16" of free movement. Tomorrow I will take the RH drum off. Any suggestions? Also, the bolt that holds the universal in place had backed itself off a couple of turns . Vibration?
Terry

[darrylkmc]

Terry,

Sounds a lot like you have a broken tooth on your ring gear, or pinion. I once took one apart that had 7 broken teeth. l have it, l will try to post a photo.

I experienced a similar situation first drive in the spring two years in a row, backed back into the shop yard and everything seemed fine after that, for a while.

Upon examination, as l mentioned, broken teeth, the cold gear lube would pick up the bits and lodge them into the ring and pinion. Pinion also had a cracked tooth.

The pinion nut had apparently been previously stripped, carefully filed smooth, pressed? Into place, and held tight with a large nail. My Father's Pickup, worked well for many years, before this discovery.

Also had to replace the housing due to cracks radiating from the torque tube bolt locations.

Hope this helps.

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Ray in La Mesa]

Rear end troubles show with different symptoms. Our "Yard Art" '28 coupe/ farm truck has one wheel drive! While checking the brakes I spun the right rear wheel and noticed the axle nut did not turn. Pulled the drum and the axle key was missing. Put in a key and wheel wouldn't turn. Left rear wheel turns fine, so I'm guessing the right axle is some how bound up in the axle housing. It's just yard art & we don't drive it so the mystery will remain. Start it occasionally just to astound the neighbors & let it idle, knocks like crazy and has a ton of blow by but it runs.

[jdpalmer]

Had the same trouble thought it was transmission but rear end got real bad and noisy. The axles will move as nothing but the seals hold them when not captured by the axle roller bearing . The timken bearing in rear end housin won't hold it from moving at the length of the axle. Mine was piñon bearing failed and let it skip ring gear making loud noise and vibrations all the way to the transmission. I replaced all bearings and new high speed ring and pinion real quit and smooth

[Terry, NJ]

Well I've got it somewhat apart, I pulled the axle housing off the left (Driver's) side and the axle is not free but everything's loose. There is a cast plate with rectangular lugs cast into it and a sleeve/bearing for the axle where it goes through. The axle shaft is pretty loose in this sleeve, is that correct? When I turn the axle it really clunks now, shouldn't be, correct? Please bear with my ignorance. I have very little/none experience with differentials.What do I have to take off to get the gears out? Oh yeah and the bearings are shot, the one I can see.
Terry

[Tom Wesenberg]

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The rear hubs are part of the axle bearing, so with them removed the axle will be loose in the axle tube.

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

Well I've got it somewhat apart, I pulled the axle housing off the left (Driver's) side and the axle is not free but everything's loose. There is a cast plate with rectangular lugs cast into it and a sleeve/bearing for the axle where it goes through. The axle shaft is pretty loose in this sleeve, is that correct? When I turn the axle it really clunks now, shouldn't be, correct? Please bear with my ignorance. I have very little/none experience with differentials.What do I have to take off to get the gears out? Oh yeah and the bearings are shot, the one I can see.
Terry

The cast plate you are looking at is the back flat side of the ring gear. It is not cast it is machined hardened steel. The rectangular lugs are not cast into the ring gear they are the heads of the nine carrier bolts that attaché the ring gear to the left carrier half and hold the two carrier halves together.

Since you have the left axle housing off it is then a simple matter to remove both axles, the ring gear and the carrier assembly. You have to go over to the right side and remove the brake drum and remove the lock key. You can then grab hold of the left axle and pull the whole assembly out and set it on a work bench. From what you have posted above I suspect you are going to find some teeth knocked of either the ring gear, the pinion gear, or both.

Since you state you have removed the left ale housing I assume you were able to safely deal with the rear spring with a proper spring spreader. Be very careful with that rear spring, it is lethal and can well kill you if you are not careful.

Tom Endy

[Terry, NJ]

I took it apart late yesterday and the rear lube was thick and clingy and it formed a fillet at the bottom and in the poor light it appeared more like a casting. I was wondering about the RH axle, if it might have some sort of lock. I will finish the disassembly today. I had to build a spring spreader (see pictures in my album) that is robust enough to handle the force of the spring.
Terry

[Terry, NJ]

OK, The rear gears are toast, Literally! Dents in the teeth, all the usual! Roller cages ground to a fine silvery paste in the bottom, lumps of rollers, "Oh the humanity!" It's Fugly! I'll have to spring for a new gear set at the very least. Gear oil is so thick I can't see down in the spiders, but really, why should they be spared? As far as I can tell it was the bearing on the pinion that disintegrated, is this common? Also, I think I want a 3:54 set for a replacement. Any opinions good or bad? Can anyone give me a tooth count for 3:54.
Terry

[JDupuis]

Sorry about your luck Terry.
My barn car that was stored from 1960-2007. At one point had the same problem as your car. When I restored the diff, I found that some of the rollers had fallen out of the pinion bearing and thrashed around in the diff. Doing lots of damage. When the previous owner repaired it in the past, they took out the roller bits, bent the bearing cage over so no more rollers would fall out. And put it back together.
I don't recommend you repair yours this way.
Do examine the banjo very carefully, mine had hairline cracks as a result of the rollers being squished between the crown and the bango.
My spider gears were OK.
Good Luck. Jeff

[Tom Endy]

You are in for a complete overhaul. If you were in my neck of the woods I could do it for you. I have a cottage industry and have done hundreds of them. Look for someone in you area who is Model A savvy and knows how to properly do them. Stay away from commercial shops they don't know how to do them and will way overcharge you. 100% replaceable items such as bearings, races, seals and gaskets price out at $278. from Bratton's including shipping. The ring & pinion gear set will be extra. Labor cost anywhere from zero to $1,000. depending on who quotes the job.

The other option is to do it yourself it is not difficult, but very tedious. Attached are the instructions to do the job. Follow them exactly and don't take shortcuts.

Good luck with your project.
Tom Endy

[racingrufus]

I had to repair my diff. because the pinion bearing retainer nuts came loose and let the pinion slide back into the ring gear and lock up diff. After I took diff. apart I carried all parts and center housing with both axle housings and drive shaft housing to my machine shop and every part hot tanked. After I picked up parts I was able to inspect everything very carefully for damage and cracks. Clean parts makes assembly much easer. I installed a 3.54 ring and pinion with new bearings and seals. The only problem I had with the new ring and pinion was the pinion was not a tight slip on the outer pinion bearing. I installed the pinion gear onto the drive shaft and carried it to a friend that had a lathe. We could spin the pinion and drive shaft in lathe and used a crankshaft polishing tool to remove enough off the pinion outer bearing surface for bearing to have a tight slip fit. After I put diff. together using Tom Endys instructions it ran perfect.

[Terry, NJ]

Tom, Many thanks for your instructions with the photos! But at this point in my life I seem to be screwing up too many things that I know! God only knows what would happen to something I don't know. As a much younger Tool and Die maker and a Model Maker for a major research Co., the temptation is always there to try it. (Tool makers can build anything!) But I'm not that young any more! I don't want this car to foul up, I'm giving it to my daughter. So I will actually pay someone to do what I should be doing myself. Again! Thanks for your help!
Terry

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

You are in for a complete overhaul. If you were in my neck of the woods I could do it for you. I have a cottage industry and have done hundreds of them. Look for someone in you area who is Model A savvy and knows how to properly do them. Stay away from commercial shops they don't know how to do them and will way overcharge you. 100% replaceable items such as bearings, races, seals and gaskets price out at $278. from Bratton's including shipping. The ring & pinion gear set will be extra. Labor cost anywhere from zero to $1,000. depending on who quotes the job.

The other option is to do it yourself it is not difficult, but very tedious. Attached are the instructions to do the job. Follow them exactly and don't take shortcuts.

Good luck with your project.
Tom Endy

[1931 flamingo]

Probably cheaper/easier to find a donor rear end. JMO
Paul in CT

[ronn]

Probably cheaper/easier to find a donor rear end. JMO
Paul in CT

just scrapped a nice one for 20.

it was in the way................

[Brendan]

[QUOTE=1931 flamingo;1560296]Probably cheaper/easier to find a donor rear end. JMO
Paul in CT[/Q

i pulled the threads off my axle. so i had to replace it. there is a guy hear in town that has a lot of old Ford parts. i was lucky and bought a good rear end from him. the one i bought had a 378 gear set in it. i did not now that , the time i bought it, that was just a plus. my car has a Mitchell overdrive in it, so i had to take both rear ends apart and make one good one. i don't have any experience on rear ends, but i made it work. the first thing is TAKE YOUR TIME!

[Railcarmover]

You can save major dough by doing what folks already said,start scratching around for used axle assemblies,I picked up a pair complete with springs,radius rods and serviceable brake assemblies for 75 bucks a piece. you can check ring gear condition through the oil level plug hole,good ring? good pinion,and worth the gamble that the bearings are good as well.

[Synchro909]

I have said before and I'll say it again, You guys don't know how lucky you are to be able to get your hands on repairable components like a rear end. I have been advertising here for months for one and no responses. To bring one over from the US would cost as much as the car is worth with my first born thrown in.

[Railcarmover]

Luck has nothing to do with it,the car was built by Americans for an American market,by a great American industrialist.That the iconic American car managed to make it to Australia is a testament to American capitalism and the exploitation of overseas markets.Consider yourself lucky to own one.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Railcarmover

Luck has nothing to do with it,the car was built by Americans for an American market,by a great American industrialist.That the iconic American car managed to make it to Australia is a testament to American capitalism and the exploitation of overseas markets.Consider yourself lucky to own one.

I refuse to respond to that as it will almost certainly be taken down. There is no place for politics here!