Rear End

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nodemon

nodemon

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I'm getting close to FINALLY driving this project for the first time...
Is there a way to "check" the rear end to see if it's good to go without the engine dropped in...? It's an 8 3/4 3.23
and non sure grip...at least I think it's not a sure grip..

Thanks in advance. !

John
 
Last edited:
nodemon said:
I'm getting close to FINALLY driving this project for the first time..
Is there a way to "check" the rear end to see if it's good to go.. It's an 8 3/4 3.23
and non sure grip...at least I think it's not a sure grip..

Thanks in advance. !

John
Click to expand...
You could jack it upin the rear and support it with some good stands and carefully run it a bit.
 
Without taking it apart, no person can answer that or really knows. Unless you have x ray vision.
 
John - seriously. You need to either drive it (but you have no engine installed yet) or take it apart to get what your looking for.
Jacked up you can feel or hear some noises but honestly it needs engine power and weight to really tell. Good luck!
 
Syleng1 said:
John - seriously. You need to either drive it (but you have no engine installed yet) or take it apart to get what your looking for.
Jacked up you can feel or hear some noises but honestly it needs engine power and weight to really tell. Good luck!
Click to expand...
I didn't know if there was "play" I could check for or how free-spinning it should be.. I'm pretty much a green horn when it comes to a lot of this stuff.. Over budget and under skilled has become my motto on this project...but I'm having fun..!
Thanks for the response..!
 
Make sure the brakes look good. Change the Lube, if you don't see any huge red flags there, just run it and worry about it later..... If you have no motor in the car, then concentrate on that for now!!
 
If you rotate one axle flange and the opposite side rotates in the same direction, it's a Sure Grip. If it spins opposite direction it's the more common open rear end. Since you have super powers, you should be able to get to the other side before it stops spinning. :lol: Easier with car on stands, tires on, but off the floor.

Check brakes, leakage at pinion and axles ends with drums off, etc. Throw it on the car and drive it. You'll soon know. Good luck!
 
Nodemon.
Do you know if your 8 3/4 has original bearings or green bearing on the axles?
Here we go folks…
GREEN BEARINGS!!! Dun dun dun.
If the axles have the factory style roller bearings then you might want to check the end play since you are looking things over.(.006) ballpark. Slight clunk when pulling on a wheel jacked up IF adjusted properly.
If green bearings… then finish your motor then git it in there for a road test.
 
do yourself a big favour and pull the differential confirm the gear ratio and whether you have a sure grip or not and have it rebuilt as long as the gear set look good , its a 50 year old part along with the gear lube and axle bearings . clean the inside of the housing and reinstall the new parts . why do people do this , spend x amount of $$$$ on the engine and transmission not counting what $$$ spent on the body then want a 50 year old differential to push the car down the road ,, it will let you down when you are the farthest away from home and when you least expect it . rebuild it now and save yourself the grief .
 
Check the fluid and run it. I have 8 3/4 rears with 400,000 miles on them, all original working perfectly. You will find out if it is noisy soon enough. This aint no Chevy.
 
My 71 Polara in my avatar had been sitting in a junkyard for close to 30 years. When I was working on it to get it back on the road, I pulled the pumpkin out expecting to find at least flash rust on the gears that weren't in the oil. It was perfect. No rust, clean oil, the axle seals were nice and pliable. Since I had it out, I decided the put one of my 2.76 SureGrips in to replace the 3.23's, I do quite a bit of Interstate driving.
 
Pull it apart and at least change out the seals, grease bearings, and adjust axle endplay. A couple of hours well spent.
 
Make sure to pack some grease around the back of the seal to keep the spring in..... guess how i learned that :) And worth a few hours and a few bucks to make sure nothing leaks and works fine.
 
lemondana said:
My 71 Polara in my avatar had been sitting in a junkyard for close to 30 years. When I was working on it to get it back on the road, I pulled the pumpkin out expecting to find at least flash rust on the gears that weren't in the oil. It was perfect. No rust, clean oil, the axle seals were nice and pliable. Since I had it out, I decided the put one of my 2.76 SureGrips in to replace the 3.23's, I do quite a bit of Interstate driving.
Click to expand...

My '62 had been sitting since 1978 in a garage and the rear end was still like new with no rust inside.. got real lucky, i am praying the transmission is as good.. My entire build is around saving the pushbutton setup.. if i end up with a floor shifter i will be pissed as i could have just gone with a 440/newer trans and made life a lot easier :)

P.S. hoping to find a 3.55 or 3.91 sure grip before next spring that isn't insanely priced.. still shocked at ho much it has all gone up.
 
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