My differential experience

SuperDave

I think i should tell this little story in the event someone else finds themselves in my situation.. I have 49 with O.D. and the factory 4.56 rear. I tried to find a 4.10, but got really lucky (?) and found a 3.58 out of a early 52..Welded cover just like mine. The price was right thanks to Dave Nelson of the OB Chapter. The 52 came to me as a whole rear end axles and all. I removed the axles and took the carrier out and inspected it. the pinion seal was leaking, but otherwise appeared to be in great shape.. Gear wear patterns looked great, no excessive play etc. It did appear to have been apart before. A couple factory washers were replaced and some of the bolts inside the carrier showed they had been rounded off a little by a slipping wrench. The ring gear had a date code of Jan1 51. The carrier had the relief for the 3.58 as shown in the mech proc. man. I installed it in in my 49 with a new gasket, installed the right side axle with little difficulty. I did have to change the shim pack a bit, no problem..yet.. When I attempted to install the left side, I found that the axle would not go in far enough to get the bolts and nuts to hold the flange on! All the shims I had plus a few flat washers were not gonna fix it. I pulled the axle again to compare it with the right axle out of the 52. Lo and behold.. The 52 axle did not have a thrust button! it had the hole that a button would go into, but no button. I tried the 52 axle, but wasn't all the comfortable with that set up, so... Out comes the whole shabang.. I found that the right side of the carrier was just like my 49, but the left side had a pin attached to, or part of, a flat sqaurish plate inside the carrier that floated around, but was not going to be removed without disassembly. It was made that way, and i can't find any reference to that kind of thrust spacer in my Hudson literature. I ended up using the axle without the thrust button. it took some fiddeling around to get the pin in the hole, but with a few shims. got the end play where I wanted it. Anyone ever seen one of those? . Now if Napa comes up with the pinion seal tomorow,I'll finish it up. I had to keep reminding myself that I was having fun. LOL:D .

Dave w