The bird is flying again - shop recommended

R

Rob Noth

Guest
The bird is flying again - shop recommended

Well it's taken over a month, but I finally got the bird back on the road with new rear gears and differential. The old differential self-destructed and took the gears with it, although somehow the car was still drivable.

It took so long because I decided to go with an Eaton Positraction instead of a Ford Trac-lok. They are similar in design, but the Eaton has carbon-fiber clutches and much higher spring loads. So first I got the new 3.55 gears and Eaton posi installed, and then when I went to put everything back together, I found the axles didn't clip in properly. Eaton said it would be fine, but it wasn't - the axles started slipping out when I drove it. So I took everything back apart again, brought it back to the shop, and they were nice enough to take apart the Eaton unit and machine a groove in the side gears, for free (!). So I put everything back together again, and now the axles clipped in and everything is fine. While I was in there I also installed polyurethane knuckle bushings. And I replaced the greasable u-joints in my aluminum driveshaft with some much stronger solid ones.

Now I just have to force myself to drive slow and easy, short trips for 100 miles, and then under 65 until 500 miles. I just really want to nail it and see what the 3.55 gears and better differential can do, but I'm going to have to wait. Hopefully it will be broken in by the 19th!

BTW, the shop is Rear End Specialties, in Santa Clara (408) 988-3619. All they do is rear end work. If you call, talk to Tom or Mike and tell them Rob with the customized Eaton recommended them.
 
Re: The bird is flying again - shop recommended

I used to work at Speed Merchant in Santa Clara and we would send people with rear end trouble to Rear End Specialties. They almost always do a good job, except when they get someone new.
 
Re: The bird is flying again - shop recommended

Rob,

Glad to hear you are back behind the "Sc" wheel!!!! Hope to see it there on the 19th, I am holding my breath for the post that says you will be coming to Sac Raceway, for you know when "MY" bench is ;) only for watching sc's.

Hey, just woundering, can Rear End Specialties fix Kurts "A cemetrical sagging azz"? ;)

Wendy
 
Re: The bird is flying again - shop recommended

Wendy,
I'm holding my breath too for when I can finally make it to Sac raceway. Hopefully that will be within a month or as soon as I can get the new gears broken in. Since the last time I ran, I've added: Eaton posi, 3.55 gears, aluminum driveshaft, EEC tuner, iridium plugs, Pro-m 75mm MAF, and the list goes on... I have no idea how the car will run. I'm hoping for 13's but who knows.
 
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