rear diff cover cracked
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: san antonio texas
rear diff cover cracked
i was installing my rear spring and all was going well.i was going corner to corner on the bolts and then went to final torque.three of the four bolts did fine but of course the last one had to be a problem.
heres what happened.i removed the bolt to check the threads.they were fine.then i noticed a drop of fluid coming from the bolt hole
today i stopped by my local diff doctor and he had another cover there .when we flipped it over we found a crack were i prusume mine is now also cracked.he told me that about 35% of the vettes he has worked on have had the same issue.he said that if the bolt hole seals up with the bolt in place don't stress it it will be fine.that most of his customers have left knowing the same.he said people do it all the time messing with the rear spring.i do trust this man.he has been building hot rods and rear ends for over 45 years.
so my ? is has anyone else got a opinion here.sorry about the book.
heres what happened.i removed the bolt to check the threads.they were fine.then i noticed a drop of fluid coming from the bolt holetoday i stopped by my local diff doctor and he had another cover there .when we flipped it over we found a crack were i prusume mine is now also cracked.he told me that about 35% of the vettes he has worked on have had the same issue.he said that if the bolt hole seals up with the bolt in place don't stress it it will be fine.that most of his customers have left knowing the same.he said people do it all the time messing with the rear spring.i do trust this man.he has been building hot rods and rear ends for over 45 years.so my ? is has anyone else got a opinion here.sorry about the book.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Replace the cover - no telling how long yours will go. It does have a crack in it... I also understand that the final torquing of these bolts should happen when the spring is under full load, as in the car's weight is fully on its wheels. I have been told that this keeps these cracks from occurring.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Orlando Florida
When I replaced my gears, I didn't have a problem with it. Probably good to replace cover, can't cost that much...of course I used thread sealer on all my bolts...you learn to locktite everything when you race cars...DDBS
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,430
Likes: 8
From: Hamilton NJ
Sounds like a time bomb. If the stressed area expands and breaks off all that metal will be turned into a puree inside your diff. If you intend to keep the car for a long time it's easy to justify replacing the cover...buy the HD one in case you ever decide to upgrade to a monospring which uses different bolts (notorious cracker of covers).
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and hope the flaming is minimal...you could prevent the above scenario by taking the cover off and overtightening a bolt in the affected hole to break the affected area away in a controlled manner. Then reinstall with some thread sealer and as long as you don't leak you should be OK (Gary, go easy...I still strongly recommend he replace the cover, but I also don't think it's a good idea to drive around with a cracked one...). Personally I would not do this because it's bubba work, but if you're strapped for cash or just need a short term fix this may be the way to go.
Here's your future...not my cover but an excellent example (courtesy of GTR)
Flame suit on...fire away
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and hope the flaming is minimal...you could prevent the above scenario by taking the cover off and overtightening a bolt in the affected hole to break the affected area away in a controlled manner. Then reinstall with some thread sealer and as long as you don't leak you should be OK (Gary, go easy...I still strongly recommend he replace the cover, but I also don't think it's a good idea to drive around with a cracked one...). Personally I would not do this because it's bubba work, but if you're strapped for cash or just need a short term fix this may be the way to go.
Here's your future...not my cover but an excellent example (courtesy of GTR)
Flame suit on...fire away
Last edited by Wuttin; Oct 3, 2008 at 12:26 PM.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 459
Likes: 1
From: Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York
Well, when I dropped my rear spring I had a leak in one of my bolt holes. It cost me about $100 to replace it. Cheap insurance really.
You could leave it alone, but why not change if the car is going to be kept, like Wuttin said.
You could leave it alone, but why not change if the car is going to be kept, like Wuttin said.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: san antonio texas
thanks to all that replied.good advice.i will be replacing it.hell whats another $150. bucks at this point.as for keeping her.i have had her for 26 years now.i would cry if she were to ever leave.dam it sounds like i am talking about a woman.anyways thanks again for the thoughts
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,989
From: Connecticut, USA
HD rear covers should only be $110-115. A good used cover will work fine, all you have to do is load the spring correctly and use the correct bolts. You can get them for around $50.
