plan_20020628

June 28 , 2002

It's amazing how fast plans change...

I've discovered that the pinion bearings are shot in the rear-end. An occasional growling sound and a howling sound I heard sometimes on decelerating have both worsened, and after crawling underneath to investigate I've discovered that the pinion shaft moves side-to-side much more than the accepted spec. Instead of a feeler gauge you might be able to use a yard stick to measure it!

So I'm faced with parking it while its home, having it towed home because I drove it one too many times, or fixing it. I think the following sums up the options:

Fix the existing rear.
Find a stock type replacement.
Replace the rear with the one under my engine/transmission donor car.
Find an updated rear somewhere else.
Or do nothing, which would be depressing.

I've rejected number 1, fix the existing for several reasons. Probably the best reason is that I'm concerned there may be expensive damage because the bearings, or at least some of the material, must be inside. Another is that the ratio is about 4:1, and I'd like to change that to something closer to 3:1. Another reason would be that I still don't know what this rear is, and don't really want to spend time figuring that out so I can spend lots of money fixing something I'd rather replace. Oh, and the brakes need to be done anyway...

I haven't yet rejected number two. Finding a stock type replacement cheap enough would allow me to continue driving now, while also continuing to delay committing to a plan. I like not deciding. What is most likely to sink this plan would be the inability to find a stock type replacement. None of the local wrecking yards have anything. More likely I'd find someone who has removed one, but that could take a while, and doesn't assure me its worth paying for, or would last.

Option 3: the rear under my '73 Chevelle donor car is a 10 bolt with 11 inch brakes. I'd rather a 12 bolt, but I don't really plan to treat this thing like a truck, and I'll certainly never race it. The Chevelle is a coil spring suspension, and that means removing brackets, adding spring perches, and various other bits of fun. Oh, and aside from the fact that the car rolled on the rear axle while being dragged home, I don't know that this rear is any good. I hope to look for leaks, and turn it to determine ratio and listen for noises. Since the car sat for ten years, the brakes are probably badly corroded. And while I can tow the car away in its present condition, if I remove an axle that becomes much more difficult. Of course, there is a kit to adapt the disk brakes from the front of that car to the sub, so maybe it would be worth it.

Option 4 is a lot like number 3, except I have to find an axle, and don't get front disk brakes. Of course careful looking might assure me of a better axle, but may not.

Do nothing. I can't do that, I'm already depressed, and need to do something quick to get this rig back on the road!

Last updated: December 31, 2006