In the rear with the gear (take 2)

The only thing greater than a 3 day weekend, is a 4 day weekend. And the only thing better than a 4 day weekend is a 4 day weekend I get to work hours on end on Ike.

After getting the backing plates blasted last weekend, I was all set to paint those and the grease retainers. Unlike the rest of the axle, I went with engine enamel for the plates and grease retainers. I don’t think there would be enough heat generated by the drums to cause a problem with the standard POR 15, but since the backing plate and retainer sits up against the grease seal, I figured I could take advantage of the heat resistance, oil resistance, and durability of the engine enamel. I like the way it turned out.

Once paint was dry, it was time to start putting the brakes back together. I loaded the shims, grease retainer, backing plate, and additional grease retainers on the inside, all held together with grade 8 bolts. Next came the eccentrics, wheel cylinder, and then mounting the shoes to the lower anchors and cams. After the spring was pulled tight, a quick adjustment of the eccentrics, and it was time to move to the other side. The other side was considerably easier after doing the first side.

With all the brake hardware in place, I finally got to do the brake lines on the rear axle. I had become pretty good at getting very good double flares at the end of the brake lines a few months ago when I first bought the tools. However, it apparently isn’t like riding a bike. After making a half dozen or so mistakes, I got back into the groove and was able to create good flares. Using my forming tool, I got fairly close to the original bend pattern. I don’t have any welting to place in-between the line and the differential clip, so for now it’s just going to sit there. Eventually I’d like to replace the clip and add some welting to match the original.

So now, after weeks of work, the only thing remaining to finish the axle is to get the drums turned, hubs/drums remounted, and then fill it with differential oil. I’m hoping once the drums are turned it will be easy enough to get a nice coat of paint on the outside. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to getting the rear axle off of the workbench so I can get started on the front axle. I’m fairly concerned that the front axle is going to need an axle shop to fix a pinion seal that has started leaking after I cleaned everything up. Since I don’t have the tools to remove the yoke, I’ll probably have to take it in to get it replaced. If that ends up being the case, I might get a bit more done while I have it there.