original rear end. thought it had a bad axle bearing, but no unusual slop or end play. these rear ends are foreign to me. just wondered what common problems these have.
hard to describe w/out hearing it, always made noise now its sounds like something is failing. seems to have right amount of lube. dont think its a ujoint.
Spiders are a bit weak. Maybe hold one wheel while rotating the other. If noise is gone try the other side. If have noise it's that side. If the noise still there from both sides might be the spiders.
Drain the oil from the diff. If it looks metallic and silvery check for big chunks of metal. It probably needs to be overhauled. These things are not that complicated that the average guy who can read a mic and can use a torque wrench cannot repair. It is all about bearing preloads and clearances. Lots of info out there and lots of after market parts which in my opinion are better than oem. Tear it down and look. If you need help pm me.
If you have new bearings pressed on,make sure that they are real snug. Otherwise the axle can depart the car. The press fit of the bearing is the only thing that holds the axle in position. It happened to a friend of mine years ago. I guess that is why the 10 and 12 bolts have c clip locks
Forty years ago, I had a rear axle come out of my '55 while driving down the road about 50 mph. The fender lip kept it from coming all the way out. I have also on more than one occasion had the pinion nut come loose, allowing the pinion to move rearward into the housing, taking a few hunks out of the metal! That noise will get one's attention! Having said that, I've driven my '56 Nomad 300,000 miles in the 22 years I've owned it, and have had little to repair on the original rear end with 3.70 gears. I run a mild 350 and an M20 Muncie.
Have someone drive it while on a frame lift while you search for the noise with one of these. A mechanics stethescope. Be careful spinning tires can be dangerous if you are not paying attention. You should be able to locate exactly where the noise is coming from. Noises can travel making them hard to locate. This a valuable tool but very cheap. You can use a big screw driver but for 10 bucks It's a lot easier with one of these.
Agree on the loose pinion nut being the easiest condition to identify. If you have noises out of it, get a gear noise chart, really invaluable for working on old rear ends. Old Motors Manuals used to have a diagnostic section in them and the chart was there. Bob
you'll need a 2 foot bar (tool) that has holes through it so that you can HOLD the flange. the torque to turn the pinion is 15 to 25 inch ,inch pounds, the torque on the nut MAY be as high as 350 ft lbs , foot pounds. NOT the most perfect vid but every little bit helps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APYO2sZyJU
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