1967 K10 Inner Axle wear (Closed Knuckle)

[67K10longbed]

The driver side inner axle has a pretty deep wear mark where the inner seal rides. I contacted Torque King and they suggested replacing the axle. I saw that they have a tool that can relocate the seal, so that it does not ride on the worn area. Has anyone ever used that tool or done something similar when replacing these seals? The other question is do I need to replace the seal? Does this cause a leak at the knuckle? I was just going to take it apart, clean it and put in new seals and bearings (from knuckle out). Gear looks good , and I was not planning on taking it out.

[Short 3/4]

You might try a speedy sleeve. Not sure about the tool Torque King sells, but they really know their closed knuckle stuff, so maybe get more info (and please share with the group).
You really don’t want that inner seal leaking. The gear oil will find it’s way to the closed knuckle and dilute the grease in it. BTW, best grease for the knuckle is John Deere ‘Cornhead’ grease. Anything else gets too thin and just leaks out, leaving a mess on the outside and a dry ujoint on the inside.

[67K10longbed]

Originally Posted by Short 3/4

You might try a speedy sleeve. Not sure about the tool Torque King sells, but they really know their closed knuckle stuff, so maybe get more info (and please share with the group).
You really don’t want that inner seal leaking. The gear oil will find it’s way to the closed knuckle and dilute the grease in it. BTW, best grease for the knuckle is John Deere ‘Cornhead’ grease. Anything else gets too thin and just leaks out, leaving a mess on the outside and a dry ujoint on the inside.

Torque King also sells a closed knuckle grease. The issue is finding an axle. I can seem to find one for the Chevy. I was still considering trying to offset the seal so that it does not ride in the groove worn in the axle. I guess I will have to get gear out and take a look.

[Short 3/4]

If the axel is otherwise good, I would try a speedy sleeve. Any good parts store should be able to help with that.
As far as the seal goes, yes it’s a huge PITA to change, but the only way they can rub a grove like that in hardened steel is if they have 50 years of embedded junk in the rubber lip, so fixing the axel without changing the seal is like taking a shower then putting on dirty underwear.
The good news is once you do that and keep your gear lube changed regularly you should never have to do it again.
Good luck
Tom

[67K10longbed]

Originally Posted by Short 3/4

If the axel is otherwise good, I would try a speedy sleeve. Any good parts store should be able to help with that.
As far as the seal goes, yes it’s a huge PITA to change, but the only way they can rub a grove like that in hardened steel is if they have 50 years of embedded junk in the rubber lip, so fixing the axel without changing the seal is like taking a shower then putting on dirty underwear.
The good news is once you do that and keep your gear lube changed regularly you should never have to do it again.
Good luck
Tom

Yeah, all the gears/splines look good, but the gear oil was like tar, so 50 yrs of sludge is probably correct. Thanks