Axle fitting

[Not_Anumber]

My new rear axle arrived from Martin. Ive wirebrushed it and given it a couple of coats of primer and durable paint in readiness for the swap and workd out how im going to do it but am stuck on one thing.

On the downward facing brackets on each side of the axle near the drums (the oblong bits which the leaf springs will be clamped up to) there are 3 holes. One on either side and a larger one in the middle. The larger, centre hole hole has the remains of what looks like part of an old rubber bung or grommet. Nothing could bolt through here as it is just above a solid section of the axle tube so I cant work out what this is supposed to be. Is this the remains of a larger rubber bush or spacer that is sandwiched between the axle bracket and the leaf spring for instance ? Its the same on both ends of the axle.

Theres no handy pictures showing this in the Haynes manual and I cant find any reference online.
I'd like to find out what this is before i start on removing the old axle so i can get any parts ready in advance & do the job in one go.

[Caprigear]

You have a PM.

[Not_Anumber]

Thanks Martin

[pbar]

Care to share what the answer was to this?

[Not_Anumber]

In short, this isnt needed when single leaf springs are fitted. I removed the bits of rubber that were in there and painted the exposed edges of the hole

[pbar]

Thank you, always good to know an answer, never know when it might crop up again

[D366Y]

I think it would be the remnants of these saddle bushes/pads that are used on multi springs - if you fit single leafs you don't need them but the bump on the one on the left goes through the hole in the saddle so guess that is what was left in the old ones

[Not_Anumber]

Well, Martin said it wasnt a difficult job and he was right.

-loosen wheel nuts on both rear wheels
-Jack the car up and put strong axle stands under a suitable position on the body
-Move the trolley jack to just under the diff, dont actually lift it, just let it very slightly take up the weight of the diff.
-Undo the 8 nuts on the U bolts that hold the axle to the springs, lift away the brackets and ubolts.
-Remove the shock absorber lower mounting bolts, 1 each side. Easy as saying it
-Clamp the rear flexible brake hose and undo union at the axle end. (I chose to replace mine for a new braded one )
-Undo the 4 propshaft bolts. (I didnt need to even rotate the propshaft to do all 4.)
-Remove the 4 bolts and lift off the 2 anti roll bar clamps. Check the bushes whilst doing this (mine were slightly sloppy so i cut them off and fitted new Superflex ones that can be fitted without removing the bar)
-Remove the handbrake linkage from the drums both sides (Should be clevis pins with a split pin, mine had bolts so clevis pins now on order)
-Undo the rear shackles at the back of the leaf springs and let them down (can be worked around but mine proved easy to unshackle)
-You could drain the oil at this point to lighten it (but i didnt)
-Get someone to help you steady the axle from the side whilst you lower the trolley jack (the diff is a funny shape so could try to roll off the top of the trolley jack)
-Get 1 or 2 people to help you carry the axle out of the way.

-Repeat the process in reverse (no not reverse gear)

Refil the diff with 1.1 litres of EP90 oil. (or lsd oil if applicable) I used a 3.8" socket drive to remove the refil plug.

I chose to replace the cross axle brake pipe and the cylinders at the back as well as the flexible brake hose. I then bled lots of new brake fluid through the system as I couldnt be sure how long ago the fluid had been changed. I made a note to bleed the front brakes next time I have to jack up the front of the car to ensure the fluid in those pipes is refreshed.

Its also a good opportunity to check the underside brsh off any accumulated dirt, clean the underside of the fuel tank etc

The car is now quieter accelerating and decelerating which is what i wanted. Being a 1983 car its now back to spec with a non lsd axle.

I'l put the old lsd axle on Ebay correctly described as a bit noisy usable but may need attention. The lsd part appears to be fine so it should do for someone who has the tools and experience to replace the worn crownwheel and re shim into silence.

Thanks to Martin at Caprigear for finding me thios good replacement axle and for Tickover and CarParts4Less for the bits and pieces I replaced (as Martin was on holiday).

[pbar]

Great how-to, that will help many people out I should think. And glad you're sorted.

[stevemarl]

Just a little aside, I once fitted a back axle to a car with trailing arm suspension on my own. Got the bushes all lined up, putting first bolt in - and the axle rolled off the stands and dropped on my arm, just above the wrist, probably an 18" drop. The pain was beyond description, walking round & round in a circle feeling I was about to black out..... How i didn`t break anything? Young bones (then) I suppose.
Moral is, please everyone ALWAYS be very, very careful especially if tackling such jobs alone.