Thanks ModelAMitch. Figured I would post this in case anyone else was scratching their head how to tighten the nut in the end of the drive shaft to 100+ ft lbs. I used a driveshaft coupling in the pipe jaws and held the splined shaft with it. Also, the guides say the cotter pins should be bent down alongside the nut rather than over the end.
Started work on getting everything back together. P***enger side axle housing attached w gaskets and indian head shellac. Will work on spider housing, axles and driver side housing tomorrow. For anyone tackling this job be forewarned that getting the pinion nuts adjusted and the lock washer in place is a bit of a bear in the quickchange housing.
Made good progress getting everything ***embled. Needed to grind down the ends of the spider gear shafts to get proper clearance with the driveshaft in the quickchange.
Beautimus....almost ***y... you planning on going to RPM Nationals, at Santa Margarita Ranch, in September?
winduptoy - unfortunately, I am going to miss RPM Nationals - am committed to driving in the Colorado Grand and the dates conflict with each other. Am hopefully going to be at the SCTA dirt drags that were rescheduled for October.
thanks for the reply...I am going to make the trek to RPM...was hopeful to see your jewel in person. Enjoy your event
Got the shortened driveshaft back from the machine shop and installed the torque tube and started working on radius rods (swapped sides and installed upside down).
I saw the bottle of 600W in an earlier picture. Suggest running Redline Shockproof in your rear end. It will run much cooler and quieter than either 600W or even 90-120 gear lube.
Thanks Dan. Made some progress putting things back together. Decided to cut an access panel since I needed to replace the rear spring u-bolts and didn’t want to mess with the body, plus it makes it easier to be sure the rear spring is seated properly. Hoping I might be able to get the rear end installed by the end of the day tomorrow.
In any case, a very clean build and that workshop! I enjoy seeing photos of it every time. Best regards, Harald.
Thanks Outback. Thanks Harald - have enjoyed your posts. Got the rear end hooked up to the gearbox but was having a lot of trouble getting the reverse eye spring spread far enough and the rear end high enough to get the shackles in. The horizontal bar on my spring spreader interferes with the top of the banjo housing and even if I spread the spring a little and then raise the rear end a little I eventually run out of clearance. Anyone have any suggestions - thanks in advance.
For what it's worth, I got a really long center bolt, mounted the main leaf, then used c-clamps to help the center bolt tighten all the leaves together. Trim the center bolt and add whatever you need to secure the spring leaves and you're all set.
I know some people attach the main spring first, then ***emble the leaves on top, I'm guessing using a long centre bolt as @Jimmy meantioned
I use a 5 ton ratchet strap with wood 2x4's under the spring's eyes. Have never (yet) took a spring apart. ... but each to his own preference.
I usually install the spring on the rear end and then in the car...I won't tell you I use the hydraulic outrigger, on my mechanics service truck, to push down and spread it as @Dannerr stated. I grease it up between the spring eye and the two by four to help it slide.... I also lube between each leaf spring and if it hasn't been apart... squirt it good with JB-80 penetrating oil or 50/50 ATF and diesel.....the ratchet strap ought to get it done as dannerr can attest to .. good luck
Thanks for all the input - I think I will pull the rear end and then build the spring up from the main leaf with it out of the car.
I install the main leaf to the shackles first, then use a piece of all thread and stack up all the other leaves. As I tighten the stack down with the all thread, I use parallel jaw wood clamps to keep the leaves from spinning. Once the all thread is tight, I clamp the stack in 4 places with C-clamps, remove the all thread and put in the center bolt. Hasn’t failed me yet
Thanks for all the advice and help. Wound up installing the main leaf on the shackles and then building the spring up from there w a long center bolt and c clamps. For anyone else putting in a similar quickchange, be forewarned that there is an issue with getting the spring back up into the center crossmember as the geometry of the lower torque tube puts the spring quite a ways back from the crossmember pocket. The solution was to remove the rear shackle bars and gently tap the shackle pin in the axle side forward to move the spring forward until it could be levered into the crossmember pocket. It sounds a bit sketchy but was by far the easiest recommended solution and worked much better in practice than it sounded. Everything is now in place and the car is back down on the ground.
The Jalopy Journal
