Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Having played the game of broken axle shafts I would suggest that you go ahead and remove the Diff Carrier and clean it well. When an axle has broken often it leaves lots of small bits of metal. You may find that the marks on the end of the axle shaft didn't even happen in your truck and that the shaft has been changed from another truck.

Phil,

You are absolutely right. I plan to open the diff this weekend. Don't want to have any need to do so later, and that means there can be no shortcuts now.

Re: The diff gasket. Do you mean you join two pieces of gasket sheet to make one piece? If so, do you double them over and build up to an even thickness??

I'm sitting here making new axle gaskets, but am not sure how you mean for the diff one.

[Keith Webb]

The ones I've opened up have a very thin gasket holding the two halves together. You don't want any movement there when it's bolted back together again!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

Gasket material as sheet stock has gotten hard to find in this day of silicon-based sealants, particularly finding sheets that are large enough to make one-piece gaskets for things like differential housings. Over the years I picked up a stock of sheet stuff at flee markets but just as with NOS gasket sets and the cork gasket material does tend to dry out, or has been rolled so it is hard to get flat.

What I have been using is high grade printing stock paper from a local print shop. Also use tag stock, as used in manila folders this is what I use to print small gaskets from computer. For the larger stuff 24x36 using high fiber or rag content print paper like they print wedding invitations on.

Walked into a printing shop with a micrometer and asked to see their sample book, then proceeded to check the thickness of the various weights of paper. Guy asked me what I was doing and I explained, in the end the guy sold me a box of left over miscellaneous thickness and types paper with 200+ sheets real cheep around ten bucks.

When making large gasket I cut out the gaskets and then spray them with Permatex Spray Gasket (item 80065) which is meant to seal cut gaskets, and to make them sticky so that they stay in place while being assembled. Lay the gasket to be sprayed on wax paper, spray one side and let it get tacky then respray, to spray the other side you need fresh wax paper as the Permatex is like contact cement it will stick to any surface that has already been sprayed. But it won't really stick to fresh wax paper unless you press on it. Then you spray the back side as with the other side and let it get tacky and it is ready to install.

Why did I want various thicknesses, for things like transfer cases where the thickness of the gaskets gets into the preset of the bearings. As I disassemble I save the old gasket (or part of it) to measure thickness when I'm ready to reassemble I select the paper with the closest thickness and go through the shimming process to get the proper preload.

Hope this helps

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

That's some interesting information. I'll print your posting and add it to my files for future reference. I have emailed Ross Prince, in Hervey Bay. He might have the bits I need.

[Private_collector]

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This Silex catalog arrived today. It was an Australian Co. so no use to rest of world I suspect. Limited use inside Aust too possibly, but here it is just in case!

The applicable pages for CMPs.
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Ford
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Chev
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Column Headings.

[Private_collector]

Work on the rear axle continues.
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Diff case opened, the cleaning & assessment has began. Insides of casing were OK, but both the seals and bearing cones are not & will need replacing. I have ordered the seals from Ross Prince but feel I only asked for the fibre ring and will also need the metal part too.
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The pinion seal parts are knackered also. Once again, I will have to revise my parts order. As you see, I had to fight the metal bit to get it out.
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Didn't find any evidence of what had damaged the shorter axle end, and the differential itself seems to be OK. One of the bearings has some rust pitting on a number of the rollers and will need replacing.

[Private_collector]

I have had the brake shoes soaking in petrol for a week and continued with cleaning today.
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Original state when hub removed and 70 years of mess exposed. Remember?
I sure do. Can't wait to get at the front brakes.
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This after about 10 minutes of steel wool work. You didn't expect the crud to just fall of, did ya?
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Another 5 minutes in the sandblaster and 'lick o' paint'. I don't know how thick the brake linings were originally, but they couldn't have been much thicker than this, surely.
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Another of the great advantages of sandblasting, you can see the little details clearly!



Oh, nearly forgot. The nose panel & second seat are still with the sandblasting/engineering place. Neither being ready when I went to collect them Saturday A.M.

[Private_collector]

Went to order rear brake cylinders from U.S and found that the supplier ran out of stock hours before I tried to place the order. A substitute now found and on their way. Should be here in 1-2 weeks.
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Brake backing plates have been blasted and painted. This one was assembled with the old cylinder, as a test only. All new hardware bought. Some of the original bolts & nuts were a bit chewed by rust. The 7/16 castle nuts which hold the brake backing plate to the rear axle were a shock as far as price goes. Originally quoted at more that $3.00 EACH!! Stated to be expensive due to their 'rarity'. Finally bought 24 of them at less than $1 each. Still outragously dear.

All bearings & grease/oil seals now removed from diff housing. I followed instructions of fellow MLU'er to run a bead of arc weld around inside of bearing cup. Once this was done, the cup was VERY easy to remove. Axle seals popped out with pushing for hub end with tube steel. Rear axle housing will go to sandblasting this week, once I make MDF plates to cover where they join together. I want to keep them seperate for the blasting, mainly because I can't lift the thing if I put the halves back together.

800kms and 14hrs spent Saturday in travel to retrieve parts from two locations. Pity they were so far apart, and a long way from my place, but all in a good cause. Booty includes: Brake vacuum booster, 1x shock absorber, a number of brackets & rods etc, fuel pump, steering wheel, spark plug wire tubes (left & right) and another 20in wheel. Was very lucky to be given workable air compressor that attaches to gearbox.

Also returned home with a Sidevalve V8 and gearbox, for rebuilding, both of which were still attached to about 5ft of front chassis. Moving them around will be much easier once I put wheels under it.