Sloppy junk yard 9"

I've got a junk yard 9" in my 40 tudor. It works ok but goes "clunk" a lot due to lots of slop in the pinion. It came from a 70's pickup, no obvious damage to the gears and is reasonably quiet except for the clunks. Can this be adjusted out fairly easily or should I just leave it alone and buy a radio??

 

Just as easy to replace it with another chunk.....

 

If it's reasonably quiet, no gear whine and the backlash is close.....I wouldn't try to adjust it. If you have too much backlash you probably need to go through it and complete an overhaul. Adjusting old parts is rarely a fix. If it's an open diff. it probably has some slop in the side gears and everywhere else. Turn up your radio or spend some money.

 

Like Retrorod says, just drive it.

Make sure your U-joints are good and check the pinion slop when you change oil.

Usually you'll have some warning before the diff goes out, some whining, additional play etc., but I'd just drive it.

Weight of the car makes a difference.
A loose diff will last a lot longer in a light car than it will in a heavy pickup.