The chassis and bulkheads were checked for flatness and reassembled. The next steps of the car rebuild closely involve the setup of the car overall. The cars rear diff has always been in bad need of a rebuild. By now its critical.
Some of my diff rebuilds involve just replacing the diff balls and putting the diff back together. This is kinda the easy way out but has been known to cure some small issues with steering and the way the car handles. I have seen an X-ray diff be used for months without so much as a passing glance. However the diff is one of (if not the most) important part of the car. For this reason, I feel a complete rebuild is in order. This involved replacing all old parts and reassembly.
The main parts that were replaced were the diff balls (huh huh, he said balls!) and the thrust washer. Although they are small, they are easily the most expensive part in the whole assembly. This is one reason I don't do this often. Every time I go for a complete rebuild, it cost me about $30 to $40 bucks.
There are two diff rings placed inside the diff that normally need to be cleaned and inspected for defects. These rings make direct contact with the diff balls and after time, the balls make a small groove in the rings that need to be sanded down. A diamond grit sandpaper (or some other finely grit paper) will work wonders for this task. If the diff rings are still new, most likely you have only used one side of the ring to make contact. I tend to want to just flip them over so the opposite side is making contact with the diff balls. This is a good way to not have to buy replacement rings.
The thrust washer is a different story, It must be inspected closely. If there are any defects with this washer assembly, there is no fixing it. A new one must be purchased. However, there are two rings that make contact with the thrust washer that will need to be check and sanded down as was the rings mentioned before.
Finally there is a set of 6 or so coned washers that need to be checked and possibly replaced. When first purchased, you will note that these coned washers are not perfectly flat. Over time and use, these washers may flatten out. This is not a good thing. It is recommended that you replace these washers every time you rebuild the diff.
Ok, with all the parts replaced, (remember you don't HAVE to do this but it is HIGHLY recommended for diffs that have seen better days) you can go ahead and reassemble. Make sure to follow the instructions to the letter to avoid problems later.
A rebuilt diff needs time to break in. For that, after you reassembly the car, give yourself two or three good laps and then adjust the diff to your driving style. Make sure you adjust the diff before you start tweaking any other part of the car.
Holy crap, I'm taking far to long on this rebuild!! Novak is in 4 days! Get the lead out :)
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