If your rear ends been sitting around, better open it up and look inside !!!

[Green Machine]

Son of Dammit, I better quit taking things apart or I'll never get done. Have the rear end out of my 70 for a frame off, was just going to pull the axles, replace the seals and do the brakes, well found some pitting on the axle on pass side, not too bad, bearing looked pretty good, left side axle was good but had one rusted flat roller, Ok so I need new axle bearings, well ok so I look and find one tooth on and axle gear with rust pits, not too bad that will run I think, but hey just four more bolts and can check carrier bearings, well driver side was fine bit found 2 really rusty pitted rollers on pass side and race had large rust pit also, yes I marked the caps before pulling and bagged shims and races left and right, well hell, might as weel pull the pinion too, seal wasn't leaking, but bearings might ??, well the inside bearing and race is ok, but front bearing race had a fair rust pit but bearing is OK, damn got to order more parts.
Well it's got a 3.73, and over in the corner is a 3.73 posi I pulled from a parts truck, and checked and the carrier bearings are good !!! I had marked the races and shims after pulling so I think i'll swap ring gears, get some new bearings and I found my excuse to put in the posi - yeah.

I have driven the truck maybe 1000 miles in the last year since I got it and never heard anything, we did change the grease to clean it out, but this truck had been sitting for 12 years in a shed before we got it, good for the body I guess, but rust got some of the parts you normaly wouldn't see rust.

So to wind this long story up, If you get a junkyard rearend or its been sitting a long time, better just bite the bullet and check ALL the bearings, I don't know how long it would have ran, likely would have had problems some time. getting more expensive all the time !!!!!!!

[krue]

Sounds like you know a heck of a lot more about rearends than I do. I would have to run it 'til it broke then replaced it.

[69TowRig]

Just pulled the diff cover and changed the gasket on mine. Everything looked peachy (except that it's an open diff, have to fix that!). I have yet to check the front though...

[Green Machine]

Originally Posted by rick980

Sounds like that rearend needs a good spanking

Yeah - and my rearend is going to get pretty sore if these expenses keep going like they are

[chevy_fatman]

Originally Posted by krue

Sounds like you know a heck of a lot more about rearends than I do. I would have to run it 'til it broke then replaced it.