I only keep threads up a week or so before pulling pictures, as some use them for dubious reasons.

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Thanks Gary, as usual, the knowledge is appreciated

 

How is the hardness of those? Also when you cut them back how much of hardening is left there?
Good to hear supply better.
thanks!

 

When you measure the gap with feeler gauges, it's that with the yoke pushed inwards towards the shaft or pulled back against the "c" clips? After all the posts I read on the subject, I have never gotten my head around which way it is referring to.

 

As stated: "Vette axles use snap rings not c-clips which were use in all other GM axles."

And this is because with the Corvette I.R.S. suspensions' engineering design, it does not present a running positioning/retention load on these as it does in the live/straight-axle examples. With the wheels on the ground the suspension geometry execution causes the weight and other vertical load forces to attempt to pitch the wheel assembly into a negative camber position, this forcing the axle inward against the differentials cross-pin, and this also causing the noted resultant excessive wear issue with the axle ends as not exhibited in the others even though the inward move is limited in the same manor, and so with the exception of some rare instances, this positioning remains constant and the snap-ring has no real function!

As stated: "Over 010" for a rebuilt diff is lousy, end of story."

Axle movement (in-out), with an effective camber change, that as associated to the available clearance between the axle-end & cross-pin to snap-ring & side-gear limits, would only be observed in instances where the inward side thrust loading acting below the lower control arm pivot to hub point exceeded the effective downward loading created by the vehicles' weight and vertical downward driving load forces, (e.g. side-impacting a curb or perhaps a road-course car on slicks, maybe?), or when the rear suspension becomes unloaded (e.g. "Dukes of Hazard" flight thru road intersections!). But yes, it is generally considered good measure to attempt to limit possible freedom of movement and maintain reasonably proper positioning of componentry, for even the unforeseen possibilities, but these snap-rings really are of limited capability (as compared to the "C-Clips) so don't try and force them into greater responsibility than that which they were engineered for; and that's why the engineers employed a distance sum in the original intention.

B.T.W. there have been repeated examples, if only on this forum, where the axle-ends have literally ground away to the point of the loss of the snap-ring, and although if not having been compensated for along the way this may have lead to suspension alignment issues (particularly "camber"), but still the wheel didn't fall off!

And I'm also not attempting to start a "debate", just attempting to provide additional factual considerations on the subject for others to ponder.

Scott.