Well, This week I have started to dismantle the rear axles. Attached are some e-mails that I have sent and received regarding the rear axles. I had several issues while working on the axles. My initial goals for this week were:
Dismantle
clean
repaint
rebuild with new seals, gaskets, brake shoes, & dust covers
Ahh.. Well, First of all, I needed to use the “original factory tool” to remove the axle flange from the trunion set. This turned out to be easy because there was a guy that lives 15mins from my home that has one of these tools. If you can’t get the factory tool then you will have to use some form of press with sufficient support for the flange. Bend the flange and you’re done.
My next issue was the removing of the outer wheel bearing. Here is the email I sent out:
OK, I’m taking apart the rear axles and I have run into a problem.
Somebody out there must know this:
Ok, I have removed the axle hub.
Now, according to the directions, I push the inner hub down the axle shaft
to expose the outer bearing so I can remove it. Here is my problem, the
axle is machined so that the inner hub can only go down the shaft a certain
distance. With the inner hub pushed down the shaft as far as it will go, I
can not get to the far side of the bearing to remove it. Wassup??
question:
What is the proper way to dismantle the rear axle so I can replace all of
the oil seals and check the bearings??
thanks.
This is the response:
Huw,
I just finished disassembling the rear axle assemblies on my 70 spit. I
completely removed whole rear axle assembly from the vehicle so I could work on
a bench. After removing the Drum, brakes, and of course the hub flange, I
removed the 4 bolts which hold the brake back plate to the trunnion. I removed
the grease shield, and grease seal. Now using my 2 jaw gear puller, I pushed
the axle shaft out of the trunnion which now holds the bearings and seals, Then
using a wooden dowel, I tapped the main bearing out of the trunnion. It’s a bit
over the top, but I am working on reconditioning the entire rear axle assembly.
It is also much easier to work on a bench top than down along side the car.
Good Luck. Let us know how it turns out.
I am going to take the axles to napa to have them press them out.
Photos:
