Hot Rods Ford 9 inch help

The rear in my 31 seemed to be leaking but when I went to tighten the nuts, found that 2 appear to be stripped. Looking online it looks like the studs are pressed in from the inside and have splines on them. Are these just a matter of pulling the center section out and putting in new studs or is there a different way. The studs are holding a bracket for the rear end so don't want anything to come apart!!

Thanks for any help and advise

 

You really need brass washers that fit tight to the studs to keep it from leaking around the studs and maybe its the nuts stripped,I always use the OEM nuts.

 

That as well as a decent gasket.

 

Actually they are copper washers and you can replace the studs , you will have to pull the 3rd. member out since they are installed from the inside. Frank
Ditto on the gasket.

 

It is as simple as 1-shot said and as fiftyv8 said use a gasket. The silicone some use will tend to leak no matter what, if you let it set awhile or just bolt it together. Probably because or the weight of the chunk you will invariably squish it when you don't want to.

 

Thanks for the replies! I am headed out to pull it out now

I have the axles out now, putting new bearings and seals on, is there anything special I need to do to take the 3rd member out or just be cautious of the weight?

 

It sounds like you have it figured out. Do be a bit cautious of the weight though. It seems that with passage of time they get heavier than a person might remember.

 

that might not be a sufficiently strong way to attach the panhard bar? I would expect it would need longer studs than stock, at the least.

 

And, don't let the center section slip out of your hands and fall in the drain pan full of 90w and splash it all over your face.

Not that I have ever done that......

-Abone.

 

I think your asking a lot of the 2 bolts to hold the rear centered. Not that they can't but the length of your bracket is putting excessive strain on the bolts. Most panard brackets put the pivot point closer to the center of the bolts and tighter to the 3rd member. P&J's panard bracket uses not only the third member bolts but also has a sandwich bracket that uses 2 of the pinion bolts and putting the pivot point closer or tighter to the 3rd member bolts.

 

It looks to me like someone already replaced the bolts under the panhard bracket to allow for the extra thickness of the bracket, if they're not splined like the OEM bolts you'll need to put tack welds on them to keep them from spinning.

 

I had to cut the nuts off to where they were attached to the bracket as they were spinning, yes. Now that I have all the nuts off is there a trick to getting the 3rd member off the top studs? I can get the bottom ones and tried rocking it a little but can't seem to get past the ones on top.

I will have to look at updating the bracket or moving it to a better location

 

Be ready for 70lbs.........it has to come off the studs evenly obviously, may have to pry w/ brass or
plastic tool

 

you did remove the axles, eh?

Look at the studs that you're having problems with, see if they are catching for some reason. usually prying gently with a screwdriver, alternating top/bottom, side/side, will get it off easily.

 

Use a transmission jack to help?

 

i agree with the panhard bracket not being deigned properly. you need to add a plate from the pinion housing bolts to the front side of the rod end. take a look at how Pete and Jakes does it

if you need new stock type pressed in knurled studs they are Ford part # D9AZ-4347-B. they come in packs of 5

 

I used to be able to lift them but now use a floor jack.

 

I think that next time I have to remove a chunk from a 9 inch I'm going to make some sort of bracket that fits into the hole where the swivel pad fits in my floor jack. At 81 I doubt I can handle one by hand. Last one I did 3-4 years ago just about whipped my ass

 

I made a gizmo like that...big help...

 

The gasket is not really as big an issue as one may think. An old racer trick is to use a piece of twine wrapped from one stud to the next with a dab of silicone around each stud.

Yes the studs can be replaced. Its already be discussed I know. I used a slide hammer to pull the new studs into place but everyone has their own way of doing it. I am sure that for the right price you can actually buy a stud tool from snap on. LOL

 

As stated that panhard bar and bracket needs to be in double sheer capturing both sides, picking up 3 bolts rather than 2 would spread the load better.

 

Please buy one of these, it helps my retirement

 

I like that bracket but I hope to only do this one time!!

 

I tried putting my floor jack under it but I was just tired I think and wasn't able to get the right angle on it to get the top to slide off. I don't have much room at the top which makes it more difficult for me to get anything in to pry it a little as well

 

Have you tried sticking a putty knife or gasket scraper in the gap as far up the sides as you can get it to use as a fulcrum when rocking it?

 

When installing I always remove the pinion support . Lightens up the load a bunch . You can slip the pinion , shims and support housing in after the stump is bolted in .