I have about 1,000 miles on the 35 now and about the only thing that worries me mechanically is the old 55 - 57 Chevy rearend he put under it has a slight howl , not bad , just enough to be irritating . Any of you guys ever switched to the Lucas gear lube and had any success with quietning one down any ? Probably going to a Ford 9" later anyway for strength but just for now seeing if any of you guys have the "MIRACLE CURE" for these old dudes to last a bit ? The 327 is pretty stout + it has a T400 pushing it also so this is my concern . No matter how easy you are on the throttle , she moves on out there and even letting off before the 1st to 2nd shift don't help much , she still damn near barks the tires and the 400 is bone stock ?
Your not gonna fix that problem with a bottle.If your lucky you might get away with new brg's.If it has run a long time with noise you may have damaged the gear's. GREGG
If the noise comes and goes while on or off of the throttle the gear set will have to be replaced.Drive side of the gears while accelerating and coast side on the decel. Bearings are constant.
There's a guy here in Mustang that specializes in the 55-64 rearends. Let me know if you need his info. He's reasonable too.
It's not real bad Rat , just enough to be annoying but it is constant so I agree with it being the bearings . I'm gonna yank the axles and look at the axle bearings first and then pull the center chunk . If it looks too bad I'll just pop a 9" in since I have several 33 spline pumkins to choose from already . Thanks though all of you that answered , Jerry
Fixed my 64....damn pinion bolt was starting to get loose,my father in law (old time mechanic ) tightened it up noise all gone,its like drivin a different car now.
I'd put it up on jack stands and have a buddy drive it while you use a mechanics stethoscope to locate the noise. Try to locate where the noise is coming from before you tear it apart. It could just be an axle bearing. You can find out if it's coming from the axle ends. Just be very careful of the spinning tires.
Absolutely check the pinoin nut as stated. If it is loose it can cause some noise. A 'howl' is usually gears or pinion bearings, the axle bearing 'growl' more. I have used early Ford (T-A?) Heavy gear lube to help quiet down a rear in the past. I think they call it 600wt (yep, 600wt). As far as the 9", It might cost you more to set up a 9" if you need to get new brakes, bearings, etc... than to fix the Chevy rear. As far as the TH400 barking the tires so hard, it sounds like the line pressure is cranked up.