Pumpkin Cover leak

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wheelsport

wheelsport

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I have an unusual pumpkin cover leak. Evidently sometime in the distant past my Barracuda had an off-road excursion that bent the lower lip of the pumpkin cover surface. Replacing a rear axle assembly would cost big bucks to say nothing of shipping it. I have tried several times to seal the leak with thick gaskets and Right Stuff without success. I keep thinking that it just might be possible to some how straiten this surface but am at a loss as to how. Might someone on the forum have any suggestions?

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Looks as if the housing itself is bent. (cast iron) I doubt if you could hammer it back into shape. You need a different rear end. Good thing is that is a 7 1/4" rear and those are usually cheap or free.
 
May try some of the sealant on the treads of the bolts, and check to see if there is a crack behind the bent lip of the pumpkin....
 
The front ahead of the cover looks really wet, are you sure it is just not a pinion seal leak?
 
wheelsport said:
I found several axle assemblies for around $650 with another $400 shipping.
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That is nuts price wise, I gave my last two away.
And both had 3.23 ratio.
And were complete including e-brake cables.
 
I would pull the cover, clean, add about a 1/4" bead of permatex to the housing, and put a new pinion seal in.
Money spent well under $40.
 
The cover will straighten, the cast will very likely crack if you try to straighten. Its probably already got a hairline crack in it which is where the oil is coming from. Spray it down real good with carb cleaner or laquer thinner until it is dry. Then watch and see where it wets at. If the housing is cracked you can grind a V notch in with a grinder then fill with JB weld.
I agree on the price, I sold an 8 1/4 about a year or so ago for $150. It was 3.55 suregrip.
 
7-1/4 aren't real easy to find due to the fact that many were just thrown away. I do agree that $600 is beyond ridiculous, though. Like others, I have given them away and I have thrown them away. We have four A-bodies in the family. They all 8-3/4 rears for a good reason.
 
Very true, hard to say how many 7.25's I junked over the years. I mean, until recently you could not even give away an 8.25
 
When I had my shop, I couldn't keep any A-body rear axle assemblies in stock. They were always breaking the 7 1/4, so, I sold those to the ones just trying to get the car back on the road, 8 1/4's to those wanting a stronger rear, but, not able to afford the 8 3/4, or those doing a big bolt pattern disc changeover and wanted a rear to match, and the 8 3/4's to those who didn't want to break a rear end ever again.
 
I decided to try to straighten the pumpkin lip since I had nothing to loose but time. In the event the lip cracked or broke, I would need to find another housing anyway. I drained the rear end and flushed it with brake cleaner. Then
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I blew it dry with air to make certain that no oil would be there to catch fire. I got out my trusty rose bud and heated the flange so it was malleable and hammered it as straight as I could. I then ground the surface flat matching the rest of the flange. Fortunately it didn't crack and no fire. After straightening the cover, a new gasket and an ample amount of Right Stuff, I should have repaired my leak. I also replaced the pinion seal while I was at it.
 
wheelsport said:
I decided to try to straighten the pumpkin lip since I had nothing to loose but time. In the event the lip cracked or broke, I would need to find another housing anyway. I drained the rear end and flushed it with brake cleaner. ThenView attachment 1715625259 View attachment 1715625261 View attachment 1715625262 I blew it dry with air to make certain that no oil would be there to catch fire. I got out my trusty rose bud and heated the flange so it was malleable and hammered it as straight as I could. I then ground the surface flat matching the rest of the flange. Fortunately it didn't crack and no fire. After straightening the cover, a new gasket and an ample amount of Right Stuff, I should have repaired my leak. I also replaced the pinion seal while I was at it.
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You have all American Auto wrecking in Vancouver and over here in Oregon you have wildcat Auto wrecking. Those should be high but not out of control. There's several guys that have parts available on Craigslist in these parts and sometimes don't mention everything they have. You might want to look at the guy out in Banks that has a lot of mopar parts on Craigslist.. of course that's if all that doesn't hold..
 
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