Customs 1960 Edsel making grinding noises from differential - 2 minute video...

You're alright young man, you'll do fine. Just take your time, remember it aint a race.

 

Shipping should be around $50-60 on an entire pumpkin, at least this is what eBay says it should be. See what you come across and PM me. 3.91, 4.11 ratio, 28 spline. 1310 yoke, I'll check if that's short or long. I had a DL in my OT Bullit Mustang and I liked it.

 

I'll see what is out there. I prefer lockers myself but most fellas will try and tell you that they can't drive one.

 

lockers are fine. Spools might give you some fun in parking lots, but lots of guys on Drag Week run them.

 

We run a spool all the time in the roadster. Granted it never makes a trip over about 200miles.

I have driven lockers since I first stated driving. Not every day I have driven cars with different rear-ends. The key to a locker is to pay attention to see how it unlocks when going around a corner. They all seem to be a little different.

 

I'm making some progress. I removed the U joint, dropped the rear end of the driveshaft and removed that piece above the u joint that's held on to the rear end by 3 bolts. Then I removed the other 2 bolts and tried to pull that piece off but it wouldn't budge so I said screw it and removed the 10 bolts going around the outer edge and pried it off a little so the oil is draining into the cat's plastic litter box now. (I put some newspapers down in the house where the litter box was. I'm pretty sure my wife won't mind. LOL) That's where I'm at now. I'll go out after dinner and hopefully pull it off the rest of the way. How much does that thing weigh anyway? I pulled on it pretty good but it didn't want to come off so should I keep prying it off with a screw driver until it drops into the drain pan and splashes oil all over me (because that's what will probably happen). If anything in there looks damaged I'll take a pic and post it here....

 

When it is done draining maybe put a jack under the snout to help you drop it, it probably weights about 60 pounds. if you remove the little washers on the bolts it will come apart easier.

Be careful

 

They are really heavy, be careful! and get the drain pan out of the way first.

 

Lebowski, great job on digging into something that you've never done before. It's the best way to learn. Kudos to Beaner and Squirrel for the guidance.

 

Thanks and I agree on the kudos. I just spent another hour under there and got the front piece off after a lot of pounding on it with a hammer. The big piece with the 10 holes is loose and will come out about half an inch and then it feels like it's caught on something. I tried prying it off with a hammer, big screw driver and tire iron with no luck. Is there some kind of trick to getting it off? I can't get much leverage while lying on my back and being 64 years old doesn't help either. LOL. Thanks again for the help...

 

the axles are still out of the car, aren't they? Both of them need to be out..

 

Both are still out....

 

I bet the chunk weighs closer to 100 lbs! Those suckers are heavy, especially laying on your back and trying to put one back in! When I did my 8", same rear just a little smaller, I used a pry bar on each side, work it a bit on one side then the other. They will bind on the studs pretty easily, so they have to come off straight. I also put my small floor jack underneath the chunk, so when it does clear the studs, it won't fall suddenly on you! Keep a hand on it and guide it onto the jack, and don't let it roll off when you ease it down.

Not trying to scare you [well, maybe I am], just want you to be prepared for the weight of the chunk. I was prepared, and the damn thing still rolled off my jack. Went back in easier than it came out.

 

Back in my younger days when I could still toss one of those around like it was a helium balloon, I had one slip out of my hands and drop about three feet onto the concrete garage floor. It missed my toes and landed on the edge where it didn't do any damage, but it sure as hell was loud and shook things. My wife was in the basement on the other side of the house and came to the garage to see WTF happened. Big chip in the floor, and me just damn happy it nor I were damaged.

 

I can say you'll be glad you did. Good firm support on this ship, the SS HAMB...

(Simply soggy simily) Water bed? Paddle wheeler.

 

Tomorrow morning I'll try sticking my smaller 1.5 ton floor jack under it and see if I can get it off that way....

 

I just spent about an hour trying to remove the front part of the differential with no success. I took some pics of the gears which look fine and don't show any wear. My wife keeps telling me to take it to a transmission shop like Aamco so I don't know what to do now....

 

#2...

 

#3...

 

Are the little specks on the inside of the front pinion plate metal?

 

When the pinion assembly is sitting there like that, with the gear up and the yoke on the floor, turn the pinion support housing. How do the bearings feel?

On the part still in the car...turn the ring gear, how do the bearings feel?

They should be smooth with no roughness. Also, there should be no play in either one, you should not be able to wiggle the gear. It's ok if there is a little bit of drag, like the bearings are tight (they are supposed to be a bit tight).

 

I don't think so-I think it's dirt from the garage floor....

 

If you don't find anything after that, wedge the ring gear with a stick or something, stick an axle in and turn it to see what the spider gears feel like.

If you do have to send it out; I'd be more prone to take it to an independent shop with a good rep than a chain store.

 

The pinion gear on the floor has no free play in it but the ring gear still in the rear end does have a little free play and is a little noisy when I spin it around fast. Do you think that's where the problem could be?

 

sounds like it could be bad carrier bearings.

To get that thing out, how about if you push it back in, then carefully inspect the threads on every stud, make sure there is nothing stuck on any of them. Then carefully pry it forward, gradually going around it, a little at a time.

 

I already tried that several dozen times for at least half an hour last night and another hour this morning. There is nothing stuck on any of the studs. It feels like it's hung up on something inside it somewhere....

 

Think you might need a second set of hands. How does the wife feel about getting under there with you. Is your hydraulic jack the trolley type -on wheels? I'd try putting the jack under the nose of the center section and raise it just a little to get the pressure off the studs and their threads. Then evenly pry on both sides of the pumpkin while trying to "walk" it off the studs and out. That thing is heavy and gravity is not helping you at this moment.
-Dave

 

A dead blow hammer, or large rubber mallet may also help.
-Dave

 

My wife unfortunately has no interest in old cars whatsoever. She'll ride in it to get ice cream on Saturday night and that's about it. I'm hoping that Junkyard Jeff will come back down from Dayton and straighten out this mess....

 

Good luck sir.
-Dave