9" traction lock question

[chromedog]

ok, heres the deal... im swapping a 9" 28 spline, 4 pinion t-lock for the open diff in a 66. the rearend came from a 59 galaxie. the passengers side axle slid right in, no problem so far, right? move around to the drivers side, slide the shaft in place, hits solid about 3/4of an inch short. back out with the shaft, quick measurement, the shaft is now hitting the cross pin for the spider gears! riddle me this...do i need to cut the axle shaft to clear the cross pin? i have about 1/2" of spline left on the axle, so that shouldnt be an issue. has anyone else run into this, and how did you fix the problem?

 

[red65]

ok, heres the deal... im swapping a 9" 28 spline, 4 pinion t-lock for the open diff in a 66. the rearend came from a 59 galaxie. the passengers side axle slid right in, no problem so far, right? move around to the drivers side, slide the shaft in place, hits solid about 3/4of an inch short. back out with the shaft, quick measurement, the shaft is now hitting the cross pin for the spider gears! riddle me this...do i need to cut the axle shaft to clear the cross pin? i have about 1/2" of spline left on the axle, so that shouldnt be an issue. has anyone else run into this, and how did you fix the problem?

You need to line up the pinion gears inside the differential - they are probably cocked just a bit so that when one axle is aligned, the other is hopelessly misaligned. My initial traction-lock install did exactly the same thing.

Have a helper prevent one wheel from turning on the side that inserts easily - apply one parking brake, have him (gently) insert a pry bar between a couple of the studs - you decide. Insert the other axle as far as it'll go, then rotate it just a bit. What you'll be doing is slipping the traction lock clutches just enough to line the splines up. It shouldn't take much force, so if you're really struggling to make it slip, stop and figure out what you're doing wrong. It may take a few tries to get it lined up well enough, but you'll find the sweet spot eventually where the axle will slide right in.

 

[96 DOHC Cobra]

That's why you should always install the drivers side axle first when you install a traction lok pumpkin. The split side gear on that side can get missaligned easily. Just do what red65 said. Maybe put the drumand tire on the side that went in. Set that side on the ground and set the parking brake. Then with some sort of lever rotate the drivers side axle a very minimal amount to align those pesky side gears again. When they're lined up, the axle should just slide the rest of the way in.

 

[chromedog]

actually i tried the drivers side first, but it wouldnt go in... btw, this t lock has new clutches in it, so it is really tough to turn

 

[red65]

actually i tried the drivers side first, but it wouldnt go in... btw, this t lock has new clutches in it, so it is really tough to turn

Even with new clutches, use a short pry bar, and you shouldn't have to grunt too much. I found it surprisingly easy to turn the first time I did it on a freshly-rebuilt unit with new clutches. If you do feel a lot of resistance, something's wrong - stop before you break anything.

 

[chromedog]

thanks guys, ive got my honey-do list this morning, but ill try and get back out to the shop later today and give it another shot...

 

[chromedog]

still no go... i might point out that this is a newly rebuilt t lock, and the clutches were installed dry, if that matters at all. im going to go out tonight, and install the passengers side wheel on the axle, and drive shaft, drop that side down on the ground, and see if i can jockey the drivers side axle into position.if that doesnt work, i figure i can always dribble a pint or so of gear oil onto the differential, and hope the clutches get enough lubrication to slip...

 

[96 DOHC Cobra]

Leave the driveshaft off. Why were the clutches installed dry? They need to be lubricated before assembly.

 

[chromedog]

as for the dry clutches, i dont know why ... all i know is that the diff was clean, and wrapped in plastic when i bought it... i do know the clutches were dry because it has to be disassembled to replace the two spider gears that run on the short shafts which were left out (another story) when it was put together the first time. i did get the shaft to go in tonight, so hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow, so i can get a chance for a test drive when i get home.

 

[iapexl8r]

could you have possibly got the axels mixed up?? check them to make sure they are both the same length. chris

 

[chromedog]

huh? why would they be the same length? . i did this the same way i do a brake job... lay everything out as it come out of the car. also, i had the new diff ready to swap in as soon as the old one came out.

 

[chromedog]

o.k... the test drive went well. the diff acted kind of like a spool, (o.k. just like a spool) at first, so i took it easy for the first few miles, then the clutches got some lube, and started slipping. bit of trivia here,,, what material did ford use in 1959 for rear axle seals? (heres a hint, MOO!!!)