I think this is bad...
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,652
Likes: 80
From: Lakeland Florida
I think you have to replace that part, or worse case the entire differential if you cant find the part. Putting that part back in just looks like you are asking for more trouble. The next time that this starts to separate you might end up with pieces of it inside the differential, and then you can imagine the mess that it will make.
Of course this will happen on a Sunday weekend ride out in the country with little to no cell phone coverage. Thats the downside of when it will implode.
kdf
Of course this will happen on a Sunday weekend ride out in the country with little to no cell phone coverage. Thats the downside of when it will implode.
kdf
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 258
Likes: 2
From: Boise ID
Thanks Gary, I think that's what I'll aim for until I can scrape together the cash for a better solution. 
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Thanks Gary, I think that's what I'll aim for until I can scrape together the cash for a better solution.
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 110
From: Garland Texas
Dan,
You can't use the caps from an iron diff. There is a lip inside the cap to retain the bearing. The design is the biggest problem with these diffs. If you can get a used cap from an 80-82 I should be able to machine it to fit.
Mike
You can't use the caps from an iron diff. There is a lip inside the cap to retain the bearing. The design is the biggest problem with these diffs. If you can get a used cap from an 80-82 I should be able to machine it to fit.
Mike
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,725
Likes: 5
From: Minnesota
I don't know what the market is now but I found a nice 3.36 for my 75 on Epay a couple of years ago for around $300. Like KDF says, the idea of something flying apart at the wrong time in the middle of nowhere would bother me.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Thanks Gary, I think that's what I'll aim for until I can scrape together the cash for a better solution.
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
Would I be able to use the caps out of a scrapped iron corvette diff? I don't know if the bearing races OD and the cap bolt spacing are the same in the Aluminum & Iron ones.
KDF, I completely agree. I'm not going to put it back in, but I'm kind of impressed that I apparently have been driving around on it without an implosion.
Stinger, based on what I see & hear & can afford right now, I will be pulling it out/apart again, so I'm going to do what I can now to get it driving, then fix it better later when I can (or when it breaks real good...)
By the way, keep up the good posts. I'm not sure which I like more - the work you do or the detailed way you write it up.
Dan
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Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,023
Likes: 1,181
From: La Mesa CA
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 29,335
Likes: 51
From: Monterey, CA
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 110
From: Garland Texas
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Pro
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
From: Nottingham
The cap's contact pads aren't even machined in these DANA 44s - I guess another reason why it has a poor reputation for strength/quality. It's just two "as cast" surfaces butting up against one another. That might make it tricky to get another cap to fit.
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
The cap's contact pads aren't even machined in these DANA 44s - I guess another reason why it has a poor reputation for strength/quality. It's just two "as cast" surfaces butting up against one another. That might make it tricky to get another cap to fit.
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 258
Likes: 2
From: Boise ID
I went and looked at the local diff, here's what it was:
A complete rear end, from the crossmember before the kickup, to the rear spring.
It includes:
complete trailing arm assemblies, bearing carriers, rotors, calipers, shocks. Halfshafts, strut rods, strut rod bracket, iron differential, differential mount crossmember & leaf spring.
He'd like $400 for it.
The only number I saw on the housing was 3899143. I didn't know where to look for the date. Definitely iron, definitely pre-80.
Whaddya think? I could probably recoup most of my cost by selling the parts I don't need anymore... I'm just not sure what the inside of the diff looks like, or even what gears are in it. Not sure I'm up to the project at this point.
Discuss....
Dan
A complete rear end, from the crossmember before the kickup, to the rear spring.
It includes:
complete trailing arm assemblies, bearing carriers, rotors, calipers, shocks. Halfshafts, strut rods, strut rod bracket, iron differential, differential mount crossmember & leaf spring.
He'd like $400 for it.
The only number I saw on the housing was 3899143. I didn't know where to look for the date. Definitely iron, definitely pre-80.
Whaddya think? I could probably recoup most of my cost by selling the parts I don't need anymore... I'm just not sure what the inside of the diff looks like, or even what gears are in it. Not sure I'm up to the project at this point.
Discuss....
Dan
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 110
From: Garland Texas
The cap's contact pads aren't even machined in these DANA 44s - I guess another reason why it has a poor reputation for strength/quality. It's just two "as cast" surfaces butting up against one another. That might make it tricky to get another cap to fit.
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
I guess the best bet might be to take a "new" cap, skim a few thou off the pads - to drop it down and give some meat to machine out - then bolt it up to the casing and then bore the whole lot out? A job for the milling machine!
That's exactly how I would have to do it.
Mike
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 122
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
I went and looked at the local diff, here's what it was:
A complete rear end, from the crossmember before the kickup, to the rear spring.
It includes:
complete trailing arm assemblies, bearing carriers, rotors, calipers, shocks. Halfshafts, strut rods, strut rod bracket, iron differential, differential mount crossmember & leaf spring.
He'd like $400 for it.
The only number I saw on the housing was 3899143. I didn't know where to look for the date. Definitely iron, definitely pre-80.
Whaddya think? I could probably recoup most of my cost by selling the parts I don't need anymore... I'm just not sure what the inside of the diff looks like, or even what gears are in it. Not sure I'm up to the project at this point.
Discuss....
Dan
A complete rear end, from the crossmember before the kickup, to the rear spring.
It includes:
complete trailing arm assemblies, bearing carriers, rotors, calipers, shocks. Halfshafts, strut rods, strut rod bracket, iron differential, differential mount crossmember & leaf spring.
He'd like $400 for it.
The only number I saw on the housing was 3899143. I didn't know where to look for the date. Definitely iron, definitely pre-80.
Whaddya think? I could probably recoup most of my cost by selling the parts I don't need anymore... I'm just not sure what the inside of the diff looks like, or even what gears are in it. Not sure I'm up to the project at this point.
Discuss....
Dan