hey all, haven't been on here in awhile, due to work ect, miss the forum.

well winter is here and i'm looking to swap my stock rear end with a 3.73 i picked up with my motor. from experience what is the best way to get the old one out? by removing the leaf springs or does the axle fit over it to slide out? thanks all

 

Support the car by the frame forward of the front leaf spring mounts, and remove the wheels, driveshaft, brake hoses, and parking brake cable. Unbolt the rearend from the leaf springs. Lift and slide to the left or the right till the wheel studs clear the inside edge of the springs, and rest the drum on the floor. Then lift and slide the other end of the rearend in the opposite direction till that side clears the springs, and slide the whole unit out from under.

 

thanks for the reply, i started taking everything apart, got the car jacked up, drum brakes are all off, got the parking brake cables off, i'm taking pics of my progress so i can maybe do a how-to later.

now i want to remove the axle shafts on both sides to remove the brakes backing plates so i can take out the rear end easier, i took the screw out of the spider gear pin, and i cant get the pin out. so i can remove the c-clips holding the shafts in. any suggestions on how to get that pin out?

also the reason i want to remove the shaft and backing plates is because i have little clearance with the exhaust going up and over the rear-end.

 

Unless you were planning on dismantling the rearend to replace bearings and seals anyway, take a saw to the exhaust pipe at a straight section to get it out of the way, then splice it back together when you're done.

 

If I understand your post correctly....
The pin has a small bolt that tends to snap in half alot. It has threads on the end near the head and thats where it breaks. I had to use a tiny easy out and then push on it from the other end with a nail that had a bent tip. Therese a small hole on the other side of the pin. Thats where I had to push from.

 

yes oldman, i took that bolt out but it looked like i got the whole thing out, maybe a small piece of the end of it broke into the pin. ill have to take another look at it.

 

I had to give mine some light taps with a hammer to get it moving.

Heres the best pic I could find of it.

 

Look at the end of the bolt to see if it looks snapped, not smooth.
Still, dismantling the rearend to be able to clear the exhaust is a lot more work than the alternative.

 

I'm at work right now, but I know for a fact my bolt was not that long, I just took out the threaded part, if mine should be that size then it did break

 

I've always dropped the rear shackles on the leaf springs to drop them, and simply slid the housing down the springs to remove. Much easier than dismantling the rearend, or fighting exhaust and backing plates over the springs.