Interesting, I have pretty much a full machine shop so I am able to make whatever I need. I am just trying to figure out why this is happening. I like to understand what the problem is and why it has occurred before applying solutions. I am not saying I am against the shims just want to make sure what I am doing is the right way.
So lets review what I have going on, perhaps I have jacked this up some way.
- Rear end and axles are both original to the car, 69 Plymouth wagon
- 3rd member is a 489 case with 3.91 gears and SG which supposedly came out of a running/driving 69 RR (swapped for 3.23 or something)
- the bearings appear to be on correctly
- i am using a new foam gasket against the housing and a steel gasket on the outside against the axle plates (they were new or near new)
- the seals are new and appear to be correctly installed (I put them in and drove them to the stops, then felt around the seals to make sure)
What is happening
- axles will go in relatively freely once I align the axle plates with the studs
- the adjuster on the right side (passenger side) is set so that it is not touching the bearing
- with the right axle out, the left side has some lateral (left to right) movement
- with the right axle in and "almost" tightened down, the axle shows some looseness and lateral movement, however once the bolts are tightened, all play is gone (regardless of where the adjuster is)
- once the right axle is in and tightened (even 3 bolts; 2 on the top left/right and one on the bottom @ 6 O'clock) all play disappears on both axles
Thinking this through mechanically, it "seems" that one condition or another is present;
1. the thrust block is too long
2. the axles are too long (unlikely)
3. the right axle is going in too far (seems possible but not overly likely)
5. something is going on with the adjuster (not sure what they could be)
6. something I am completely overlooking or not understanding...
I suspect that whatever is happening here is not as complex as I am thinking, it is possible that I am doing something incorrectly here, but I can say that there is no play that can be felt once the axles in. Here is what i have done during this endeavor;
1. install both axles
2. position a dial indicator onto the left (drivers side) axle; I am using a magnetic base with the base on my caliper mount (which is welded to the housing) and the indicator is reading off the axle flange
3. using a non metallic hammer, I whack the left axle several times and zero out the indicator
4. i whack the left side axle several times with the non metallic hammer
5. i read the dial indicator
Note: I have tried rotating the axles several times before and after whacking the left axle (as called out in the manual), I have also tried a wood block and a BFH to do the "whacking" and nothing seems to differ.
I am open to any comments or suggestions...