Technical READ NOTE PLease! Broken axle shaft Right side and tonight the Left side broke.

Nope, I ordered a axle shaft yesterday. Should be here in a few days. Still working on my '41 replacing the cooling fan and improving the mounting situation to the shroud so I can get the fan out with out taking the entire grill apart.

 

OK, maybe an overreaction, and no offense intended! BUT, it's been molested for sure, and although the center section may be good, it should be TOTALLY broken down and assessed for more damage. (and rebuilt while you're in there). I don't see a pair of axle shafts alone fixing that, and I'd be more comfortable knowing everything was 100%.
Then you can beat on it with a clear conscience!

 

OK, thanks for the reply.
So "broken down" does the entire rear axle have to be removed?
When I replaced the Right side axle shaft, seal and bearing, I did rotate the ring and pinion and "looked" at the parts, no real damage noticed.

 

If it were mine ,the center section should be checked completely. There's a lot going on in there at 70 mph, and with the obvious abuse the drivetrain's been subjected to, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Again, not trying to be a dick; stuff like those snapped axles just makes me a little nervous! Surprised "Squirrel" or one of those guys hasn't checked in on this one ( race guys)
Good luck/ ride safe.

 

Look around in the oil under the carrier to see what is floating around in it. You can rotate the carrier and inspect it, but make sure the pinion pin is in place unless you want to be really familiar with the spider gears.

 

That brings back old memories! I had to replace the rear axle bearings in my '65 El Camino, and a friend told me "it's easy, take out the "c" clips, slide the axles out, replace the bearings, and put the axles back in". (in the dirt driveway in front of my house). It all went great until I rotated the axle to get the spline lined up, and rotated the center section without knowing it. BOING!! gears and shit EVERYWHERE ( in the dirt).
Fortunately my buddy ( who I was not real happy with), laughed, and came over and had it back together in about half an hour. ( and a 6 pack of Bud- his payment!!)

Beware!

 

Yeah I did a similar thing when I changed my right side axle. I stuffed rags up in the side gear pin area to keep things from falling out during the evening.
I came back out in the morning, blacktop driveway, and started looking around to see what to do next, come to find out the rags had fallen out, then I looked at the left side axle shaft and the C groove in the axle shaft was exposed with no stinkin C Clip in it. I felt around in the oil at the bottom and there it was.
I had the car jacked up with the jackstand only on the right side so what happened was the car shifted by it's weight and angle to the left and exposed the axle shaft and the C clip dropped out.
As a first timer it took me quite a while to get that side gear back in place by rotating and eventually sliding it back in.

 

After you get the axles figured out, do a transmission swap. Hot rods have 3 pedals... no shifting into park.

 

No clutch for me!!!!! I have to drive through Chicago, Ill. trafic on most of my cruises. No clutch for me!!!!

 

I hear ya. I've been stuck in Chicago traffic a few times and wished I had an automatic... or a semi-automatic

 

Wtf are you talking about?
Stay out of the rear diff and out from under the car. You'll kill yourself.

The axles must move in towards center (left axle goes to the right and the right axle goes to the left) after the center shaft is removed to release the C clips. That's why the car should be up on both sided and stable.

I'm picturing the car up on right rear corner high enough to work on the diff and the car shifting by its own weigh enough to move the left axle in.

 

Really?
This will fly right past you but here goes anyway.
Cars do not shift their weight around while stationary, it's impossible.
Your car was either balanced and teetering on one corner jack stand or the jack stand sunk into your asphalt driveway. Either way there's volumes of information written about the perils associated with those conditions and why they are bad practice. Pixar and Disney wrote about cars that move.

Newtons laws of motion might be useful too.

 

There is an old rule that when you install a used axle shaft you must put the left one on the left side and the right one on the right side even if they are identical.

The reason is, the metal is stressed in a certain way by use and if you twist it the other way it may fatigue and break, like bending a piece of metal back and forth.

This does not happen over night. I even heard of a guy who was in the habit of shifting from forward to reverse without coming to a complete stop, the rear axle eventually snapped but it took 20 years.

Wonder if your car ever had the axles removed and someone switched them?

Or maybe the previous owner did burnouts all day long.

In any case new axle shafts should fix it permanently.

 

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OK Mr. Newton, I am getting very tired of your condescending remarks.

I posted how the car was on a Jack Stand on the Right side and the Left tire on the blacktop driveway. No not sunk in to the blacktop.

This was the first time I have any experience with a C clip axle.

I am a AMC and Chevrolet guy.
Retired production manager from American Motors.

See the pictures, if you must, of how the car was sitting.

The next day the C clip was on then bottom of the center housing, pumkin.

My thoughts were that the car, BODY, shifted on the rear axle. It is tied, bolted, to the rear axle.

Now remember the center pin is out of it's position, removed to remove the broken Right side axle shaft, leaving the
side axle shaft free to move. Leaving the body free to slide to the Left and expose the C clip groove in the axle shaft.

That's what I think!!
Left View attachment 3302311 View attachment 3302316 View attachment 3302311 View attachment 3302316

 

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Thanks Rusty. Good information.
Not just idle criticism.

 

Back on the road and doing fine....Great feeling!!

 

Good to hear! Hopefully you don't have anymore ordeals with that.