Rebuilding 1931 Differential

[Ed in Maine]

I have the following questions:
When assembling the rear axle, should gasket sealer be applied to both sides of multiple gaskets between the banjo and housings?

What kind of gasket sealer would be best to use?

What is the recommended minimum thickness gasket for the gasket on the right (passenger) side to get a good seal. This is the side that may only have one gasket.

When assembling the pinion gear to the drive shaft (this is on a taper), should I apply a coat of oil to the shaft to help the assembly? This same question would apply to putting on a rear brake drum.

thanks for your help. Ed

[DJ S]

Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

I have the following questions:
When assembling the rear axle, should gasket sealer be applied to both sides of multiple gaskets between the banjo and housings?

I applied sealer between each gasket. Doesn't hurt.

What kind of gasket sealer would be best to use?

Indian Head Gasket Shellac. This is a thin gasket sealer that will not mess with your preload settings.


What is the recommended minimum thickness gasket for the gasket on the right (passenger) side to get a good seal. This is the side that may only have one gasket.

No recommended minimum thickness but there should be at least one gasket per side. Arrange your gaskets in a way that gets you the best gear mesh.

When assembling the pinion gear to the drive shaft (this is on a taper), should I apply a coat of oil to the shaft to help the assembly? This same question would apply to putting on a rear brake drum.

No oil. Just torque the nut to 100 ft/lbs to seat the tapers.

thanks for your help. Ed

Answers in red.

[rotorwrench]

A lot depends on what it takes to get the bearing preload as far as how many gaskets person has to work with. The backlash adjustment will move those gaskets where they have to be to get the right dimension. With all possible variations, it's hard to figure what the end result will be. Adding too much sealant may affect preload so keep that in mind during assembly. Indian head is low viscosity so it will likely have the least affect on preload and backlash.

[Jim Brierley]

I don't use sealer directly on the gaskets, I do put a thin amount of silicone on the corner joint where the axle housing meets the center section.

Don't put oil on the taper, this is what is used to lock the shaft to the gear, not the axle key.

[dave in australia]

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Originally Posted by Jim Brierley

Don't put oil on the taper, this is what is used to lock the shaft to the gear, not the axle key.

Also applies to the rear hub tapers as well. Usually, a broken key is caused by a lubricant applied to the taper during assembly. It is the friction that connects the drive of the two parts, the key is for alignment.