Differential Assembly Part 3

After finding out yesterday we needed shims under the carrier bearings to pre load the assembly, I removed the axle housings and took out the carrier assembly and pulled the bearings off of it.  I had two .005 shims but thought it would not be enough.  I had a roll of .003 shim stock so I decided to make some shims.  I made four .003 so each side would get a total of .011 in shims.

Installed shims on carrier housing and re installed the bearings.  

Then re installed the carrier and axle housings and torqued to specs.  This time the carrier locked up as it should have.

    Next I checked the housing gaskets for thickness and marked them.  

Now I can dis-assemble the rear end and use the different thickness gaskets to get my backlash correct on the gears.  Hopefully I won't have to repeat these steps with the pinion bearings but it might have to happen to get the gears meshed correctly.  Later, Steve

Differential Assembly Part 2

First pic is the spring eye on the anvil with the new bushing pressed in and the old one beside it.

  The bushings in the housings were really rusted in place and required heat from the torch to loosen them.  

After cooling they were driven out with the new tool.

  

   Next is a pic of the old bushing and housing seals.  

Then a pic of the new seal on an installation tool waiting to be driven into the housing. 

  Then a pic of the new bushing pressed into the housing and a pic of the new bushing and seal installation tool. 

Next is a pic of the right trumpet bolted to the banjo with the carrier housing and ring gear installed.  Then the left trumpet is bolted to the assembly to check the preload on the carrier assembly.  With no gaskets and all bolts torqued to specs it should have locked up the carrier, however it was too loose with the new carrier in the old housing so I will now have to remove the carrier bearings and add shims behind them to get the correct carrier preload before we can set the lash for the gears.  Getting closer, so stay tuned! Steve

Differential Assembly Part 1

After determining that the gears were better on the differential that I bought at the swap meet, I needed to get the bearings off the carrier as they were shot.  I tried soaking and pressure from a puller for a month but they were stuck.  

Finally I decided to destroy the bearings and grind the inner race off the carrier, so the first three pics show that.  It seems that whoever took the last set of bearings off the donor differential, did so with a cold chisel instead of a puller and left some big burrs on the carrier.  Anyway got them off, cleaned up the burrs, and pressed on new ones.

  

Next is a pic of the spyder gear in its housing and the top half of the housing.  You can see the date stamp of 4 29 31 in the housing so this differential is 3 months newer than the roadster.

    I had to remove the old spring shackle bushings from the rear spring and differential housings and they were very stuck.  So I turned a bushing driver in the lathe and was able to drive them out of the springs with it but the ones in the housings were still frozen in place.  

You can see the driver in the spring eye on the anvil and in the housing in the next picture.