Hello to all,<O</O Well Ive been away for awhile, since I was on deployment. I got back wrenching on the my 54 Bel Air. Heres my issue that has me all confused. Both axles have wobble, but the passenger side is worse. Heres is my current set up.<O</O Later 350 Engine <O</O 700r4 transmission <O</O 10 bolt 8.5 rear end from a Chevelle with Richmond 4.10 and possi <O</O I have changed the wheels and tires and still the same wobble. <O</O Replaced axles with new axles, and the exact same wobble. <O</O Took drums off and put the wheels back on, same wobble. <O</O So I ask of the gods, what do you think? <O</O Thank you for all your support.<O</O
Wobble? Can you be just a bit more descriptive? It's possible that your "wobble" is your driveshaft U-joints and you're feeling it through the whole car. If it were me, I'd jack up the rear end and run it to see what I could see.
IF the wheel is true and IF the wheel sits square on the axle and IF the axle flange is perpendicular to the axle shaft.............. it cannot wobble. There are no more parts to this equasion.
How are you checkin for wobble? Can't be driving it with the drums off..... You have "new" axles so they should be perfect...but put some OEM wheels on without tires anyway and check for radial and axial runout. You're not driving it and just feeling that your tires have flatspotted are you? Bias-ply tires and long storage will do that.
Thanks for youre service to our country , Glad you made it back ... If I had youre Chevy I would take that 10 bolt outa there and go with a 9 inch ford ... it wont wobble then ...
Thank you for your service, and welcome home. With what the others said, 48chubby has it right, if you are seeing the wobble. If you are only feeling the wobble, it could be driveshaft or something back from there. How are your outer bearings? They could make the straightest axle seem messed up. With it sitting a while, the bias ply tire issue could be the culprit as well, but the cure for that is to drive it. Remove the wheels and tires and drums and have a buddy turn the driveshaft. If the hubs don't run true, it is the axles, if they do run true, add the drums and run a nut or two on upside down so the flat part is holding the drums against the hub. If they don't run true, there is a problem with them or how they sit on the hub. Ford axles have a large hole in them to allow access to remove the axle retainer bolts, I have seen rust build up there and when the drums were put on, that rust deposit caused an issue. Does Chevy have any cutouts or holes other than the wheel stud holes? I run mostly Fords so, cannot help on that part...
A broken belt in a radial tire will cause a wobble. usually felt at slow speed in a parking lot that is not real smooth
Thank you all for the replays, so to clarify what I have done. Remove my G78's and replaced with radials. All my offservance have been with car jacked up . So i see the wobble at the end of the axles. I believe , the wheels are squared on the flange.
Almost all wheels will have some wobble. Tires have lumps/ bulges and other imperfections in the sidewall. Tires can be out of round. You don't say how much this is. And thanks for your service from here too.
Ok, this is really driving me nuts. What are the chances of the ring gear and all that other stuff inside the rear end. Being hosed up to Cause the wobble?Please I'm on a limb here. Thanks again
Ohh, I forgot to mention. When I replaced the axles, I did not replace the bearings. They looked fine, I have no up and down movement. Just a slight in and movement.
Make observations. Put the car on jackstands, pull off the wheels and brake drums. Start the car and put it into low gear. Look at the axle flanges while they rotate. If you see a wobble in the face of the axle flange, get NEW axles. If not, then button back up the wheels and tires, and look at them in the same manner. Use another jackstand as a reference to wheel wobble at the tire bead area. Watch what the tread looks like as the tires rotate. If you can see a deviation that looks odd, it is. Break down the problem and solution from there.
Have you open the rear end to see if the side gear's (the ones the axels go into) in the carrier are tight in the bore. You may have a badly worn carrier case.
Patrick, I have replaced the old axles with new ones and no change. Tire are brand new with less than 20 miles. Johnny Gee, I did open up the rear end when I replaced the axles. As for the carrier, I reall y have no idea what I looking for. But I'm no pro with rear ends, but I thinking it might have to due with the carrier. I'm just thinking out loud,but I really have no idea.
Dumb question, have you tried a different set of wheels? I played with some S10 wheels on a 57 rear end once, and they wouldn't sit on the hub quite right and had a pretty bad wobble. Just a thought.
True you did have to open to pull the cross shaft out to push axels in to get C clips out. Next would be to roll spider gears out then you can take the side gears out of the carrier. It is an open diff. (not a posi)?. More work if posi. I don't know what else to suggest. At first I would have said bent wheels but you have changed everything. So I have to say it's from inside.
Have you put another wheel on to see? As stated a moment ago, it might be an index hole issue. Just for kick's, find five thick washers that are the same thickness and put one washer on each wheel stud. Then see what happens.
The differential is toward the center of the car enough to not cause a wobble. If it was that bad, the ring and pinion would sound like death warmed over while they mesh together. Describe the feeling or noise. A 27" tire makes 745 revolutions in a mile and everything else has a relation to that example. Drop the driveshaft and see if the u-joints move in the CORRECT free feeling, or if they bind or feel crunchy. Is it in the steering or in the seat? That helps some with troubleshooting.
Take the car out and drive it. The mold marks on tires or the edge of the tread will give the optical illusion of a wobble. Drive your car and see what it feels like. Nothing in the carrier could possibly cause this problem. As long as you used the correct axles, size and spline you should be alright. Why did you change the axles to begin with?
I had a wobble with a 9 inch. Found the housing where the axle gears rode was worn. But only one wheel.Not both.
Here are some updates, after taking the wheels off of my buddy's 54 Wagon. And putting them on, I still got the same results. Car jacked up and what it appears to be a bent wheel ( What I call the wheel wobble). With that being said it looks like something internal. So my plans are to get rid of the 4.10 and posi and try to find me a complete stock unit to replace it with. Thanks all of you for your help and support.
If replacing it makes you feel better go for it. But you should at least open up that rear and take it apart. Not for us but for you, go thru every part and see what you find. If you find it's bad at least know you know why, but more important you learned why. That makes for experience.
I'm tying to picture a carrier going around in an elips or egg shaped pattern enough to causes the axle flange to be untrue WITHOUT SHOWING OBVIOUS WEAR in THE BEARINGS, OLD AXLES, OR AT THE CARRIER. So far I can't see it, or picture it. The drums should be worn into an out of round pattern too.
The Jalopy Journal
