Rust on ring and pinion

[Johnl48]

Did I just open eatons pandoras box ? Was planning on just changing seal and gaskets. What you all think ?

[geunther]

Sadly I would say, new ring and pinion and new bearings.

[slikside]

Originally Posted by geunther

Sadly I would say, new ring and pinion and new bearings.

I agree. It appears to me there's more than rust going there. Those gears actually look pitted to me. I guess if you're willing to deal with a complete grenade at some point, it would be a fun experiment to see how long it would last if you put it back together and run it. Don't know if you have the extra time for that or not. New is the only way to deal with it one time.

[Mike C]

3.73 don’t exist for the HO axle which is why you can’t swap them in. Don’t forget that front has to match rear with gear ratio.

[terry b]

Did it make a lot of noise? Doesn't look like it was driven in a long time.

[Johnl48]

Originally Posted by terry b

Did it make a lot of noise? Doesn't look like it was driven in a long time.

I never drove it. In process of restoring it.
I can't find any parts for this online

[terry b]

I would not be able to not rebuild it. It's going to fail. Now is the time to collect parts and do it. Change the year ratio of you want. Not the best news but do it once and do it right.

[Johnl48]

Originally Posted by terry b

I would not be able to not rebuild it. It's going to fail. Now is the time to collect parts and do it. Change the year ratio of you want. Not the best news but do it once and do it right.

Been online for over an hr can't find a single part for the HO52

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by Johnl48

Been online for over an hr can't find a single part for the HO52

There’s a really good thread somewhere on here. It covers current part numbers and the rebuild process. It was from about a year or two back. I can’t seem to find it now though. I will tell you there are no new gears for this axle, you’ll have to source a used set.

[HO455]

What are your plans for the truck?
I believe you can get the numbers off of the bearings and source them from a quality bearing house.
As far as the gear set goes it depends on your comfort level. If you are unable to source a ring and pinion you could acid wash the rusted areas to clean them and then reinstall them. After all this kind of rusting is common when vehicles are parked for extended periods of time in humid areas.
How many times do people start driving vehicles that have been parked long term and never crack the cover on their differentials? Yes the ring and pinion may fail after hundreds of miles of hard use or after after tens of thousands of miles of light use.
The question is can you live with a possible pending failure? The failure isn't likely to be sudden or catastrophic but a slow increase in noise and slop in the rear end.

[Johnl48]

What would be a direct bolt on replacement with 8 lug differential

[kwmech]

A 14bolt full float, there will be a little work with it. May have to move spring pads and play with the parking brake cables to get them to fit, along with moving shock mounts. I had an HO72 in my flatbed and replaced with a D70hd.

[Johnl48]

So, and please forgive all the questions. While I've done several jeep restorations, older chevy trucks are new to me. This axle stuff is confusing. So here we go

What years can I retrofit to my truck ? Moving shock mounts and etc. Doesn't bother me but I want to stay with the same width.

I see 14 bolts 10 1/2" 9 1/2" what do I want ?

If I find one with 3.73 gears what do I need to convert front axle, I assume just a 3.73 ring and pinion ?

And will the 3.73 be ok if I go with the TH350 Trans.?

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Johnl48

So, and please forgive all the questions. While I've done several jeep restorations, older chevy trucks are new to me. This axle stuff is confusing. So here we go

What years can I retrofit to my truck ? Moving shock mounts and etc. Doesn't bother me but I want to stay with the same width.

I see 14 bolts 10 1/2" 9 1/2" what do I want ?

If I find one with 3.73 gears what do I need to convert front axle, I assume just a 3.73 ring and pinion ?

And will the 3.73 be ok if I go with the TH350 Trans.?

⁸

So your truck is a 4x4? K20 or K30? We'd love to see some pictures.
And 3.73's would be fine with the TH350. Just be aware the front carrier will only work with 3.73 and numerically larger gears. The link has more information.

https://www.drivetrainamerica.com/bl...als-explained/

[Johnl48]

Originally Posted by HO455

⁸

So your truck is a 4x4? K20 or K30? We'd love to see some pictures.
And 3.73's would be fine with the TH350. Just be aware the front carrier will only work with 3.73 and numerically larger gears. The link has more information.

https://www.drivetrainamerica.com/bl...als-explained/

Yeah I need to start a build thread. It's a K20
According to your link I can't put 3.73 in a 4.10 differential ?


What it looked like when I picked it up





What it looks like now

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Johnl48

Yeah I need to start a build thread. It's a K20
According to your link I can't put 3.73 in a 4.10 differential ?


What it looked like when I picked it up





What it looks like now

Your truck's progress is looking good. Keep us posted.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by HO455

⁸

So your truck is a 4x4? K20 or K30? We'd love to see some pictures.
And 3.73's would be fine with the TH350. Just be aware the front carrier will only work with 3.73 and numerically larger gears. The link has more information.

https://www.drivetrainamerica.com/bl...als-explained/

I need to apologize. I made that statement not knowing what front axle you have in your truck and as a result I provided bad information.
I wanted to point out there are limitations to ring and pinion swaps if changing the carrier is not an option. That information may limit your rear axle choices.

[57taskforce]

You will need a 10.5” to be comparable in strength to the HO52 as well as being bolt in. A square body K30 1 ton (77-87(91) will have the correct 40.5” axle perch spacing and be a 10.5” full floater. You will only have to cut and re-weld one shock mount for it to be bolt in. You will need to re gear your front axle to 3:73 If changing ratios. 3:73 should be fine with a th350 if on stockish size tires. If you are lifted and on 33-35’s I’d suggest 4:11.

[BigBird05]

Something else to think about. What does the inside front differential look like? Is it as rusty as the rear? Is there any rust in the axle housing? I would derust everything, buy any new parts I could find, polish the ring and pinion and put it back together. The longer you drive it, the less you will even remember that there was rust in there.

[indymachinist]

That whole carrier, ring, pinion, and all bearings are trash. Period.

Could it function for a while? Maybe. Define "a while."

I would 100% not reuse any of that.

[71meangreenc10]

John,

I have a Eaton Dually axle that I am about to scrap. I wonder if anything off it could help you out.

Smitty

[Johnl48]

Originally Posted by 71meangreenc10

John,

I have a Eaton Dually axle that I am about to scrap. I wonder if anything off it could help you out.

Smitty

Thank you, I would imagine shipping from Arizona would kill that unless you have a 4.09 ring and pinion that's good

[71meangreenc10]

Originally Posted by Johnl48

Thank you, I would imagine shipping from Arizona would kill that unless you have a 4.09 ring and pinion that's good

Ill pull it out tomorrow and see how it looks.

Smitty

[Johnl48]

Would these work ??

[57taskforce]

The front will bolt up. The rear will need the perches and shock mounts moved. The rear has to come from a 1 ton 4x4 to be basically bolt in minus 1 shock mount.