Tuna Boat - SHE DONE BLOWED UP -Rear End Problem - Thoughts?

brti · March 30, 2007, 03:01:42 AM

Take a deep breath,,,,,,, have a beer,,,,,,,,, leave it a day or two, then tackle one thing at a time,,, enjoy it,, all of it,,, this is the best part.
I'll bet every member of the RRT has had this and much worse happen to them,, I know I have.

Dave · March 30, 2007, 07:13:27 AM

Don if your rearend is like the other early chevys its a lot easier to work on than you think. Ill check my book tonite unless someone has one handy and can check it out. The early ones had a removable cARRIER LIKE THE FORD caps lock again. The removeable carrier made em a lot easier to service.
Dave

58 Yeoman · March 30, 2007, 08:21:58 AM

Like Dave said, they have a removable carrier, and are basically just like working on a Ford. You can pull the axles out and inspect/replace the bearings/seals. The front wheels have ball bearings.

The SS trim for the windows takes a little bit of work to install into new rubber, mainly because the rubber is floppy, and the trim is not. Get the new rubber/trim on the windows, then put it in, but be very careful on pushing on the glass. Before installing the glass, if you're doing it yourself, is to put a small nylon rope in the groove that goes onto thebody. It's used from the inside for one person to pull with from the inside, while another gently pushes from the oustide. I cracked my w/s while putting it in, and had to buy another. Sounds like you'll be having your glass installed for you anyway.

New rubber is very pliable, and usually is easy to work with. Leon has the right idea, cut the old out, and use new. When I cracked my w/s, I was lucky that there was a place less than 50 miles from me that had 10 sitting on the shelf; 5 clear, 5 tinted. From South Africa. Oh geez...now I've done it. All you people now know that I've got imported parts on my car.

BFS57 · March 30, 2007, 08:36:37 AM

Hello Don;
As you all know, I drive a 57 daily. A while back, I wanted to cure my leaking rearend so, It's this easy! I was told to not use a gasket to re seal the third member. I didn't need to replace my axle bearings. You should look at the rear brakes while you are at it! you will have to have an axle puller, bearing puller. and gaskets. If you work slow (like me) It will take a couple days. I do remember that when I was younger, it didn't take as long only because the parts were easier to get a hold of now when I'm doing something I try to have everything "just in case" cause as we all know this fun part is usually full of suprises!
Quit calling your car a Tuna Boat! It deserves a much better name!
I really think your car is quite nice and would never relate it to a smelly old boat! My car is "something to lay under and cuss at!"
One thing that you will find most valuable is a manual for your car! This takes most of the mystery out of jobs like this! You can read about what to do, gather your tools needed, parts needed, and kick butt!
Just my two cents worth!

Bruce

Beck · March 30, 2007, 03:20:06 PM

I hear sugestions it may be a wheel cylinder, but was originally diagnosed as rear axle bearing and seal. The smell will tell the story, gear lube stinks. Is that the animal odor?? OR gear lube odor??

GPster · March 30, 2007, 05:09:44 PM

If that glass guy told you the glass might break working on that stainless, I would believe him. I had that happen trying to work on the SS trim on a '53. The windshield broke and a guy trying to pull the windshield out of a junker broke that one because of the stainless. If I had to do anything and save the glass I'd figure on new rubber and cut the old rubber to take things apart and have new rubber for the re-installation. I'm sure only the top models had the stainless and the lower models had different rubber without the stainless grove. I personally would buy the new rubber, without the grove, and re-install the glass without the stainless. But that's your call. Now on the rear end. Make sure the breather tube is open. It is usally a rubber hose the comes out of the housing where the brake line "T" is. Also, there is a possibility that the oil level is too high in the rear end. When you take out the fill plug you should not get fluid, If you do than the level may have been too high. Any liquid leaking out at a brake drum would require you pulling that drum and checking the brake shoes because they would need replaced or at least cleaned. Jack up thatrear wheel, put a jackstand under the axel and pull the wheel off. Put the transmission in neutral and the emergency brake off and see if you can spin that axel at the lugs. If you can, the next step would be to get the drum off. More later, time for supper. GPster

Leon · March 30, 2007, 05:41:57 PM

The only way to break the glass taking it out is by trying to save the old rubber. Cut the rubber and the glass will lift right out. Why would he buy new rubber without the groove and put it back in when the glass is already in the car? The stainless is put in the rubber before the rubber is put on the glass, and when the rubber is put on NO pressure is needed to install it to the glass. When the glass is put in the car, too many people put too much pressure on the glass and bang on it to get it to "seat". You shouldn't have to and if you get someone that knows how to put in glass it is very easy and takes very little pressure. Can it break? Yes, but if done right it doesn't happen often.

Dave · March 30, 2007, 05:43:30 PM

Quote from: "Beck"I hear sugestions it may be a wheel cylinder, but was originally diagnosed as rear axle bearing and seal. The smell will tell the story, gear lube stinks. Is that the animal odor?? OR gear lube odor??

How much ya wanna bet its gear lube? Ya the stuff stinks but it aint that bad..
Then again Don freely admits he is no mechanic and prolly never smelled that stuff before. So then it would smell like pooh. If he was close to me id have that bugger apart already and know whats wrong. I gotto go back to the garage and get my manual . I may have to do some scanning this weeked and send it to him.. Pictures are worth a thousand words ya know..
Dave

58 Yeoman · March 30, 2007, 09:07:49 PM

Best way to find out if it's gear lube, stick your finger in the fill hole on the punkin, see what it smells like. Rub your finger on the leaky stuff and smell it...if it smells the same, gear lube. If it smells different, get some brake fluid and see if it smells the same.

All the 58 Chevies that I've had, had stainless on the front and rear windows, all the way down to the cheapest Delray; my wagon is the cheapest wagon that year, and it had the stainless. You should be able to buy rubber without the groove for the stainless, but it looks like you're trying to stay with the stock look.

msuguydon · March 30, 2007, 09:15:54 PM

I shouldn't be on line, I am packing the car to leave to Florida and its my 10 year olds birthday.

You guys have 7 days to figure out the problem and report back

I am counting on YOU!

40 · March 30, 2007, 09:23:45 PM

Don .....Have fun on your trip....Be safe!

GPster · March 30, 2007, 09:31:45 PM

Continued: The brake drums usually set to the axels and require some straining to get them loose. They usually get stuck to the axel on the center of the end of the axel on the raised up (out) part that centers the wheel. If the drum/axel rotated with the wheel off then the brakes are probably loose enough to get the drum off. If not you will probably need a brake adjusting tool (spoon like) and loosen the brake adjustment till the drum rotates. Now to free the drum from the end of the axel you should find the hole in the wheel face of the drum between a couple of the wheel lugs. This is probably un-mechanic like but I usually get a screwdriver blade in that hole and drive it in between the back of the wheel face of the drum and the flange of the axel to wedge the two pieces apart. When you get the drum off start looking for what's leaking. If it is the wheel cylinder you should see brake fluid around the rubber ends of the wheel cylinder. That will tell you what you have to fix. If it's the axel bearing/seal you will find grease coming from around that 4 bolt flange that the axel comes through in the center of the backing plate. Now, believe is or not, that flange that I described is what holds the axel in the housing. If you can take those 4 bolts out and slide the axel out of the housing then you have more problems than just a bad seal. You've lost an axel bearing and the bad bearing has let the axel run out of alignment so the seal leaked. None of these fixes are a 2 hour job so get this far and we'll be able to tell you how to go from here. GPster

moparrodder · March 30, 2007, 11:25:38 PM

Don, my son's T bucket had the right axel seal go out and leaked a lot just puttin around town to the point the right rear brake didn't work so I decided to tear into it. It's realy not that bad to fix. After removing the tire and wheel and car on jack stands I removed the bolts holding the bearing retainer plate and used a slide hammer with an old stock lugnut on the end that was threaded on a stud bolt and with 4 hits the axel came out. As others have said clean the axel and check for cracks and twisting and make sure it's not bent. The bearing/seal is pressed on the axel so if you can't get it to come off without a torch to cut it off make sure you write all numbers you can find on the bearing/seal and call your parts house to see if they have one. Ours had to be cut off by our blacksmith friend. I was lucky enough to find a bearing/seal at an O'Riley's 17 miles away. They told me it was for an 8.2 Hotchkis rearend that Chevy used in 53 to 64 cars and some early vettes. Our bearing was still good but the seal was junk ( hard and cracked with some small chunks gone) All in all it took about three and a half hours to replace. Another thing you want to check is the brake lineing on the brake shoes as the rearend grease can be soaked up and you may need new brake shoes. Like I said before it's not that bad of a job to fix, just take your time and pay attention to what you take apart and how it came apart so you can put it all back together. Sometimes the bearing will be stuborn and will take some extra hits with the slidehammer to get it to pop loose, and after it's all back together don't forget to top off the rearend with grease. Hope this helps.

Bill

Leon · March 31, 2007, 02:23:25 AM

Quote from: "GPster"If you can take those 4 bolts out and slide the axel out of the housing then you have more problems than just a bad seal. You've lost an axel bearing and the bad bearing has let the axel run out of alignment so the seal leaked.

Isn't that how you remove an axle on those rears? You unbolt the 4 bolts, and slide the axle out.....
How else would you remove it? :?

Dave · March 31, 2007, 06:44:50 AM

Quote from: "Leon"
Quote from: "GPster"If you can take those 4 bolts out and slide the axel out of the housing then you have more problems than just a bad seal. You've lost an axel bearing and the bad bearing has let the axel run out of alignment so the seal leaked.

Isn't that how you remove an axle on those rears? You unbolt the 4 bolts, and slide the axle out.....
How else would you remove it? :?

Should be just like the ford. unbolt the bearing retainer and out she comes. Another way if you dont have a puller is put the drum on backwards and hit it with a hammer being careful fot to bend the drum. I havent got to my book yet and Don is leaving but ill be in that garaga all afternoon.
Dave