Axle housing questions

[wrndln]

I have a rearend I am rebuilding. I have some questions for any Fordbarner's that have rearend rebuilding experience and can answer the questions I have below.

First, the shock balls are somewhat worn on the two housings. The wear is where the shock link cut a circle into the ball. The wear is not real bad, as I mentioned above and I am considering using my MIG welder to build up the balls and dress them down to hopefully make the shocks function better. Has anyone done this and with what success? I plan to use Teflon shock link ball seats which should minimize wear on the welded balls. I am just concerned the welding might weaken the balls.

Second, what is the best way to to remove and install the axle housing race (differential carrier bearing race)? I don't have access to an actual race removal tool (wish I did), so is the only way to remove the old worn race a long piece of rod and pound it out? To install the new race, is the best method to use the old race and lay it on top of the new race and carefully pound in into the housing?

Third, I made a seal installation tool out of a 1/2" pipe coupling and a large flat washer. I am not exactly sure how the new seal is aligned in the housing as it is way down the inside, which is difficult to see. Is there a good way to make sure the seal is lined up correctly before trying to drive it into place?

Thanks for any help with the questions I listed above.
Rusty Nelson

[Rowdy]

Rusty, I can loan you my extra KRW race puller. Sure beats trying to knock them out with a broken brake rod or something like that. Rod

[Glenn C.]

Weld a bead on the inside of the face of the bearing. While it is still hot, take a wet cold rag, cool the bearing quickly and the bearing race will fall out.

[Roger V]

I would not use an old race to use as a driver for the new race even if you ground the OD of the old one as hardened steel striking hardened steel such as race to race or with a steel hammer may cause it to shatter sending shards of steel at you. If you don't have access to a KRW race installer or soft driver made for this you could use a piece of hardwood to get it started in otherwords square and then drive it home with a brass drift working one side to the other and around.

I don't see a problem with welding the wear on the shock mount ball. Not that much load nor much of a safety issue if it did break.

[Larry Seemann]

No problem welding up the shock balls. However, I would do more research on the differential race situation. It seems I remember reading that the new races may not be the same dimension as the original and may need to be shimmed. I think Tom Endy has a good article on rear ends. It may be on the orange county A's site - not sure of the site address. Just drop the axle seals down the hole and look at it with a flashlight to make sure it's square before pounding it in place. Some time recently there was some discussion as to which side should be facing out. I always put the spring side toward the center of the car, but I think someone, maybe Tom Endy, said it should go the other way. Someone else needs to chime in here.

[Tom Endy]

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Bratton sells replacement shock perch balls (p\n 5890). The late 31 housings used this type of ball. You can cut the old ones off and drill out the housing and install this later type. I have never done it though. Most will work ok even with the wear you describe.

lacking the proper race puller, you can remove the axle housing races with a nominal 4' length of 1\2" pipe. Set the housing on the floor and put the pipe through the hub area and catch the edge of the race. Very carefully tap on opposite side all the way around with a heafty hammer. Be careful not to do any damage to the race seats. With patience it can be done this way without harming the housing. Before you install the new races make sure there are no burrs on the race seats.

To install the race you need the K R Wilson puller inner tool. Lacking that you need a shop press. Set the banjo on the rails of the press and put the axle housing down through it. Use the old double race from the banjo as a press in tool.

Bratton sells a proper grease seal insertion tool. Screw the tool onto a nominal 4' length of 1\2" pipe. Apply grease to the seal and stick it on the tool. It will stay on the tool. Put the housing on a concrete floor upside down. Insert the pipe into the housing until the seal is against where it will seat. Center the pipe in the opening and with a heafty hammer drive the seal into place. It will take 4 or 5 hammer blows. When the seal seats you will hear a ringing sound that will tell you it has seated. You can also feel with your fingers that it has seated.

For the dissertation and a look at all the photos. Go to the Orange County Model A Club web site at www.ocmafc.org. On the menu at left go to "tech articles" and click. It will bring up a new menu. At the top is my name, click on it. Scroll to the differential seminar and click. All the articles are in an adobe file. They are all free to copy and use.

Good luck with your project.

Tom Endy

[eystein]

Tom Endys article is very good, and is recommended. I just used it myself for doing my rear axle.

I don't agree though that you must have a purpose-designed race installer or a press to install the races. I used a piece of 1/2 threaded rod for installing the races in the axle halves. A steel plate with a hole in it at each end of the axle housing, and an old race between the plate at the end of the rod and the new race. I ran the races into place by tightening the nut on the rods, and used a hard rubber mallet for some additional "persuation" if needed.

I used the same threaded rod to install the seals as well, used two nuts to fasten a socket of suitable size to the end of the rod, and then drove the seals in.

As to the direction of the seals, I think that is not in Toms article, but I got a good explanation of this from the guys here at the Barn. Refer to :

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33376

As to the race in the banjo, I put the race in the freezer and heated the banjo in the oven (about same temperature as for baking bread), and the race fell right into place. - You might want to make sure that the banjo is squeeky clean before you put it in the oven if you want to stay on good terms with your wife/girlfriend.

Anyway, I would always use a dentists' mirror for inspection after installation, to make sure that both seals and races are 100% seated