When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I am re-doing the entire rear on my 78. Recently had rear differential re-built, all new bushings in trailing arms and strut arms, new spindle/hub bearings and new moog greaseless u-joints on the half shafts. I took the diff and the rear bearings to Dub and those are good to go. I also have new rear tires. I assembled everything and took it for its first test drive and didn’t go faster than 8 mph. An obvious click sound and feeling as the tires rotated. Jacked it up, put car in neutral and both rear wheels stuck every revolution while I rotated them by hand. Took half shafts off and they seem tight where they attach to diff yokes. I think the tight u joints is my problem, but don’t know how to resolve this? I’ve read threads on here, but aren’t savvy enough to understand ‘Tap the caps between the clips with a hammer’. The wheels rolled good until I took the jack stands out and put tires on the ground. Any input from this awesome group of vette owners on how I get this inherited Vette rolling again will be a huge blessing! Trying to finish it for my dad. Thanks!
I’ll keep you posted, but tapping on the weld of the half shaft fixed the tightness. I’ll put it together and may need your expert advice again. (Hopefully not)
I’ll keep you posted, but tapping on the weld of the half shaft fixed the tightness. I’ll put it together and may need your expert advice again. (Hopefully not)
ended up fixing the tight u-joints with a what from a hammer. Put it back together and still sticks every 1/2 revolution of the wheel. Took the wheel and rotor off to be sure and still does it. After taking a closer look, the half shaft binds at the brand new diff yokes. I honestly do not know how to remedy this... this literally stops the wheels from turning when it’s on jack stands. (I do have a jack under the spindle to simulate that the car is on its wheels).
any ideas?
Last edited by Jakes78; Jul 8, 2020 at 09:50 PM.
Reason: Attached pic
With the rear end jacked up the wheels hang down too far.
Jack up the trailing arms and the wheels will turn freely.
For the click check that a tire weights are not hitting the caliper or anything else.
PS: You're in good hands with dub.
dub is great. Was hitting a weight on the inside, but not the cause of the friction. Even with ‘right’ u joints that move freely, there is still a catch every 180 degrees of tire revolution.
Jake, as Pete mentioned in post #3 above, do not try to rotate the rear wheels/tires with the rear of the car in the air and the rear swing arms at full droop. The angles on the half-shaft U-joints in this situation is typically too great and the joints will bind.
If you want to spin the rear wheels without disconnecting the half-shafts, lift each control arm up until the half-shafts are nearly parallel to the ground, close to normal ride height. This will keep the U-joints from binding as the half-shafts and axles turn.
Both control arms will need to be supported to accomplish this without binding.
Thanks Gusto. Yeah, I have jack stands holding the trailing arm to simulate as best as I can. The issue happened when the wheels were on the ground too. Going to check the half shafts in case one is longer than the other, then swap them and see if that helps.
Thank you to those who are trying to help me figure this out.
We need to make sure rookies like me are aware that that the u joint flange at the hub and the hub flange is shaped in a way to only enable the u joint flange to be installed in only 1 way. The flange has a lip that is shaped in a way that is thick on one side and thinner on the other and it has to align with the opposite on the hub connection. Fixing this rookie install mistake fixed my rear vibration and awkward feeling when it rolled at low speeds.
Rear vibration (maybe right u-joints)
