Register now to get rid of these ads!

Technical Best gear oil for ancient rear axle..?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by superduper88, Apr 29, 2016.

  1. superduper88
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 214

    superduper88
    Member

    Hey guys, hoping for some advice on what gear oil I should dump in my '55 Chevy 2 door wagon rear axle. Here is the deal-

    The car been sitting for probly 20+ years and the rear axle was brim full of beautiful, crystal clear, water. I pulled out the diff and cleaned it up and it seems the old gear oil slime pretty much protected everything from rusting up. Everything turns freely but there is a little pitting on the ring gear teeth. At this point I just want to put new wheel bearings/seals and a new pinion seal on and run it. Sorry to get long winded but I figured all this might play into my big fat question-

    Is there any super great gear oil I can use to help my ancient, slightly pitted, diff live as long as possible? I'm trying to get this car on the road before our local cruise week so swapping rearends or rebuilding it isnt really on the table. IMG_20160429_104717.jpg IMG_20160429_103636.jpg

    Thanks in advance.. -John
     
  2. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,174

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    I would take it all apart and clean/inspect thoroughly before using
     
    BigChief likes this.
  3. ^^^^^ yep and when you have it clean fill with 90wt gear lube unless it is a posi then you 90 wt specified for posi traction.
     
  4. superduper88
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 214

    superduper88
    Member

    Its open diff. OK so 90wt. If I take it apart will I have to reset it up as far as the ring and pinion mesh and what not?
     

  5. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    I would not use any of that center carrier or the rear axle housing, for long term use. The entire rear end housing will be almost impossible to descale inside the axle tubes, and the rust flakes will be coming loose and ruin any expensive bearing overhaul you do.

    If it's just a short trip to a cruise, clean things up with diesel best you can, fill with 90w and get your butt looking for a donor complete rear as soon as possible :) lol
     
  6. Yep just straight 90 wt gear lube. You will have to set it up if you tear it down.

    @F&J is probably absolutely correct here. If you can find a better rear start thinking about it right away. You may get lucky but in our world luck is never anything that one can depend on Murphy carries a lot more weight that lady luck.
     
  7. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,931

    squirrel
    Member

    The last thing you need to worry about is the quality of the gear oil :)
     
  8. superduper88
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 214

    superduper88
    Member

    Yeah I'm only really worried about it working for the week of the event. After that I could find something else to swap in. Maybe I'll ask my buddies and try to just find another rear axle..
     
  9. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,931

    squirrel
    Member

    I would just rinse it off well with solvent, put it back together, put the cheapest 90 wt oil in it, and take it for a test drive and see how it sounds. And then think about what rear you really want in the car...lots of guys end up with something different.
     
  10. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    I would fill it with gear lube from the parts store and cross my fingers. If it survives a week or 2 of driving, change it for fresh lube.

    My guess is any pitting will result in eventual failure and it will be necessary to replace all moving parts (bearings, crown gear and pinion etc) but who knows. There is nothing to lose if you take a chance.
     
  11. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    So if you're just wanting it to last for 1 week for an event, I'd clean that 3rd member up with some solvent as best as you could, reassemble the axle and fill it with diesel fuel and move it around enough to slosh the diesel around and wash down the interior, then drain and refill with SAE 90 (or 85W-90 if you can't find straight 90) GL-5 gear oil. Run it for the event, and then plan on either a full tear down for bearings and seals, or find a replacement.
     
  12. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,174

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    so, what does the rest of the mechanicals, body, etc look like in this slap together & drive it til' breaks wagon look like? post some pics
     
  13. Rand Man
    Joined: Aug 23, 2004
    Posts: 4,860

    Rand Man
    Member

    I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said. This kind of thing happens all the time. I'd be surprised if you had any more trouble than a little noise.
     
  14. Road Runner
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 1,256

    Road Runner
    Member

    My 48 original 4:11 gears looked like this (see photo and pitting) when I replaced them eventually with a 1954 3.55 torque-tube and gear section that had little use.
    Draining both the transmission and the rear produced brown water, when I first got into it.
    I just refilled them with GL-4 rated gear oil (GL-5 is OK for the rear) and drove it for another 1000 miles before it was time to replace them during my drive-it-while-rebuilding project of 2007.

    rear swap8.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
  15. That's the same diff I have in my avatar, the 8.2 GM drop out pig, like Jim and Beaner said, clean it up best you can and 90w, you're good to go, it's a good rear end.
     
  16. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,294

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Whatever gear oil you use will be much better than what was used 60 years ago. What you need to be concerned with, is contamiation. The bearings and gear mesh don't tolerate dirt as the gear teeth mesh with a sliding action and you don't want those surfaces picking up.
     
  17. superduper88
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 214

    superduper88
    Member

    The car is a rolling shell right now, got a 283 and a Powerglide going in, Speedway disc kit for the front, '67 Camaro buckets, just scavenging whatever works to get it going. I am taking all of your advice and gonna clean this rear axle out with diesel, fit it back together, and see what happens. I've already put the word out and have a line on a few different axle options for if/when this one flips me the bird..

    Thanks guys!
     

    Attached Files:

  18. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,087

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    Oh geesh it said ancient I thought this was going to be about something old lol.

    And yeah, what those guys said. Should get you by for a week for your event and be able to move it around while you find a better one if you don't mind putting the time in to clean and set this one up just to use it short term
     
  19. k9racer
    Joined: Jan 20, 2003
    Posts: 3,091

    k9racer
    Member

    In the past I have worked with old rear ends that looked like yours .Outside storage/flood cars/ After a good clean I would fill with automatic transmission fluid and drive around close to home for about 2 to 3 hours total. I would drain and a lot of trash would come out. I guess the detergent in the atf helped clean.I then refilled with a very good grade 85/90. By the way these cars and trucks are still driving around.
     
  20. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,375

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    The rear end question has been answered. Now, about that body: Put panels in the rear window area. Sedan Deliveries are so cool!
     
  21. Texas Eli
    Joined: May 28, 2012
    Posts: 40

    Texas Eli
    Member

    I'd probably put a magnet or few in or on the housing to catch some of what's going to coome lose.

    Eli
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.