Hot Rods Ford 9 inch axle seal mess

OK. So I have been scratching my head trying to figure out the easiest and cheapest way of fixing this mess. So my car has a 9 in with the "large" bearing axel bearings. The axles were custom made by Dutchman about 8 years ago (with not many miles on them), So they are nice, newish and were pricy$$. My housing had been narrowed by who knows, but when they did they did NOT reuse the stock part of the housing end that holds the small inner seal for the axles. So all I have is the end the bearing sits in and with silicone on the outside of the bearing race the sealed bearings are not enough of a "seal" to keep the gear lube in. I was gonna use the tapered roller bearings with the outer seals (I believe #A 20) But the inner diameter of that bearing is just a little too large for my axles. Now I don't want to spend the big bucks on new axles AGAIN, and I don't want to spend bug bucks on a new housing!!!! Soooo...... Any suggestions???? Does anybody make a bearing retainer with a seal in it? That would be perfect! Or am I just screwed????

 

Gus68, I have solved this problem with a seal from Speedway Motors
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Seals...nner-Axle-Seal-for-25-275-Inch-Tube,5298.html It drives in from the inside when the pumpkin is out. I have used them with success for many years. Hooley

 

Hopefully solved, in less than 9 minutes!

 

I'll throw this in just for an also check. I've found some custom housings without any vent. This will cause sealed bearings to leak when other wise they wouldn't leak at all. Just something else to check on.
The Wizzard

 

The new rears with axles I use in my chassis business come with a bearing that has an O ring on it. Maybe this would solve your problem? An adequate vent is a necessity.

 

Yup, it has the factory vent and it is clear. Hooley!!! I have seen those but didn't quite know if it would work for what I need. Have you used them? Do they go in from the inside? So I remove my centersection and install from there? That would be so awesome if that was my answer!!!

 

Is that right?

 

With a seal on the inside what lubes the wheel bearing?

 

The newer bearings are sealed hence the need to keep the gear lube away from them.

 

Sorry it took so long to get back. Yes I have put them in a street rod that I ran for several years. The last few years I have been building race cars and put them in every one of the race cars. I narrow my own rear ends and have had better results with internal seals. They glue in with silicon glue. The axel shaft goes through the seal and won't let oil out to the bearings. This has worked for me.

 

The wheel bearings are sealed bearings and don't need oil. We are talking about 9" Ford with the flat bearings and not the tapered bearings. On my street rod I had the O ring bearings to seep a little. Hooley

 

Thanks Charlie for helping. You have a lot of experience in all the hot rod building stuff.