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If you have an aging R&P that's near or at the backlash tolerance limit can it be tightened or once it exceeds that point it has to be replaced, end of story?
This is confusing, C3's don't have ring and pinion suspension. All C3's are sloppy and in a perfect scenario, the pitman arm is the weak point. There are no adjustments
If you are referring to the differential unit, it can be changed...but you have to change shims to get that done right. If the backlash is not out of tolerance and the gears are not "singing" to you, I think it would be best to leave it alone, unless it needs rebuilding for another reason.
This is confusing, C3's don't have ring and pinion suspension. All C3's are sloppy and in a perfect scenario, the pitman arm is the weak point. There are no adjustments
I've never heard of a ring and pinion suspension and don't get any hits on the term doing a search. I didn't think it needed to be specified I was referring to the R&P in the differential.
Passenger car 10-bolt? And how can you measure backlash with the bearing caps off? Take some marking compound and see how the R&P line up. You got the rearend out & opened up, I'd just rebuild it and not have to worry about it any longer.
Passenger car 10-bolt? And how can you measure backlash with the bearing caps off? Take some marking compound and see how the R&P line up. You got the rearend out & opened up, I'd just rebuild it and not have to worry about it any longer.
It's not literal just a representation of the basic measuring method. The caps are in place on mine.
You can tighten it up, have you coated a couple teeth to get a gear mesh pattern yet ? Get a gear pattern so you can see if moving some Carrier shim will help or if it’s going to need pinion work
You can tighten it up, have you coated a couple teeth to get a gear mesh pattern yet ? Get a gear pattern so you can see if moving some Carrier shim will help or if it’s going to need pinion work
Thanks. For now I was just curious if it's possible. I've got an Eaton unit off a '68 or '69 Vette that I plan to rebuild. As it sits it's within a hair or two of being at the upper limit.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Yes, backlash can be changed on your rear end. Both pinion depth and carrier (ring gear) position can be changed with standard shimming to dial it in to any spec and pattern you desire.
Lars
I was recently looking at the possibility of rebuilding mine, and one thing that came up was the need for a spreader tool specific to the Corvette rear diff. I’ve seen it done without that tool but can also see the merits of having it. Anyhow I got cold feet and decided not to ‘do it to myself’ 🙂. For what it’s worth.
This rear does not require a spreader tool. GTR taught me how to do mine. You adjust the shims using a slip-fit, then add another .005" on both sides at the last step to give the carrier a .010" interference fit. They just tap in with a brass hammer. But if helps if you have the shim kit that has a "cage" to it and you add the thin shims on the inside. Then they tap in easily. GM shims were one piece cast iron ground to fit and probably can not be re-used because they will not fit. Mine were roughly .260" thick each. The aftermarket carrier shims mostly seem to use the cage style. The real trick is the pinion drag alone should be 16 in-lb, and once the carrier is put in it goes up some more, to about 26 in-lb total. Then you have the correct amount of tightness and pre-load on each pair of bearings. It was the first diff I have ever done, and there is a tremendous amount of learning involved! You re-use the carrier shim cage, and keeping changing it's internal shims, until you get the thickness you want. I wound up with .262" (L) and .223"(R). And a good pattern, good backlash, good pinion drag etc. etc. I probably removed the carrier 20 times no joke!
Aww I'm 66 and I did it for the first time. Only took me 6 months of saturdays! LOL
Let's see I saved a $1000-2000 or so and probably spent say what... 200 hours?
So I guess my time was "worth" what...$10 bucks an hour.
Good thing I am not doing this for a living!
It was fun... sort of.
Can ring/pinion backlash be tightened?
