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.
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.