Hi folks - I went to replace my 1952 3100 brake linings and found the rear linings soaked with oil, so I need to replace the rear wheel seals. Has anyone done this and have any words of wisdom? I reviewed the shop manual and it appears the axles have c clips that need to be pulled so the axles can come out and then you need a puller to get the seal/cover/bearing out. Any advice? Thanks. Richard
Pulling Rear axle Just follow the instructions from the manual. This is a straight foreward job . I would replace the bearings/dust caps/Clips/gaskets all at the same time. Remember to use good quality grease to pack the bearings ! No need fore any spesial tools here , if you dont have them the local parts store gladly helps you in the matter. Remove the old hypoid 80/90 oil from the cardan. Clean the inside arangement with petroleum or diesel , do not use any high pressure water. When releasing the pin from the Lock blocks (left & right) inside the cardan beware that you keep the drive Wheels in the same position ! Give a close look at the crownwheel,pinion and spider gears aswell. You`ll never know what you will find here ! Have the cardan calibrated again so the Wheels have the right distances in between .The last thing is a job fore a car mecanic . When closing up you`ll be needing a new gasket fore the cover here to! N.B.Clean everything nicely and reverse the procedure. N.B. Fill up With fresh hypoid oil . Repair manual; http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0404.htm Good Luck Martinius.
rear oil seals I've done it many times, unfortunately. I used the new type seals and searched swap meets for older, leather seals. Leather ones are better. Driver side is good and has been for over eight years. Passenger side has been a pain in my butt for eight years. Newer, rubber type seal failed right away. Older leather type seals last a little longer but not by much. Probably because the seal boss on the end of the axle has some pitting on it which is allowing gear oil to weep through. If I wasn't replacing the entire rear and doing the closed to open conversion, I would have JB welded the boss next time and smoohted it down with some fine grit paper to make a better sealing surface on the axle boss. Inspect the axle sealing bosses for wear. I would NOT pack the bearings with grease. They are meant to be lubed with GEAR oil from the rear, not grease. Follow the manual on the how-to, but be careful when removing the spacer block between the gears in the rear end. Position it just-so so the gears do not slide out of position once the pin and block are removed. PIA to get them back in and positioned properly (ask me how I know). Clean end of axle tube very well and hit with blast of starting fluid (ether) to remove all oil residue just before putting in new seal. Coat outer edge of seal with a little RTV silicone sealer. May also help with oil weeping past the seal. Also, make sure the cover goes back on in the correct position (clock it properly). Otherwise ring gear will eat at the inside of the cover putting a lll kinds of metal shavings into the rear (also a BAD thing). Andy
Rear End Work What Martinus and Andy said ~ You pack the new bearings with grease to ensure they get proper lubrication before the gear oil sloshes down the banjo housing , standard pratice . On non limited slip rear ends , the right side is always the drive side so that's usually the side that wears out fist . In Andy's case not only would I chase down the correct leather seals on E-Bay (and pre soak them in gear oil overnight before installing) , I'd also swap the axle shafts left for right & then go looking for a good used take out rear end and take the driver's side axle from it . Expect to use LOTS of clean rags on his job ! you may use Gasoline to clean inside the housing but NOT de greaser . When you have the derby cover off , rotate the crown wheel until you see the flat slotted screw in the center block ~ remove this screw and the pin will slide out scaring the crap out of you but don't panic , just remove the block then gently push the axles in a little bit so you can see and remove the 'C' Clips holding them to the spider gears , then they'll slide right out . Print these messages out and take 'em under the truck with you along with a pencil so you can make notes as you go along . SAFELY JACK UP AND BLOCK THE BACK OF THE TRUCK HERE !!! .
