76REDSTINGER

MAYDAY........MAYDAY..................

WHY? would a differental yoke e-clip break when your re-installing
the half shafts?

Questions
1. are both half shafts the same?, left and right interchangable?
2. are the ends different....does it matter which end is toward the differental?
3.greasable u-joints zurk goes toward the drive shaft?......yes?


I just bought this car and the differental yokes had LOTS of slop
so i got a different one the was rebuilt/tight
then i replaced all the u-joints
then i put in new drive spindles w/ bearings.......yesturday

tonight when i put on new rear shocks I had to have a jack under the trailing arm and 2 people sitting on the trunk to get the shocks
back on. gap from shock top hole to bracket 1 1/4".

that was done so i started putting the half shafts in....fairly easy.
I was drawing the spindle ends of the shafts tight and the drivers side e-clip let loose
now that yoke slides in and out

what did I do wrong?
should the rear shocks be that hard to get on...they are Monroes,gas

Any help would be appreciated.................have to go pull wrench from side of house

Rob :flag

76REDSTINGER

any heavy duty mechanics out there?

FeedVaal

I doubt you did anything wrong. More than likely, the groove in the side yoke was worn enough to allow the clip to slip or it was defective and shattered. Time to start over .

76REDSTINGER

just a new clip or yokes?

any answers about the shocks , is that normal?

76REDSTINGER

has anyone else done this?

NHvette

I've done all this, and something doesn't sound right.
With the body on the chassis, you should be able to simply jack
the spring to get the shocks on. This is a new 7-leaf spring - right ?
I think I would connect the spring last.

Answers: both shafts the same - and both ends the same.

Thinking out loud:
Maybe the strut rods are adjusted out (or in) to the extreme ?
Perhaps loosen or disconnect them on the inside.
After vette is sitting on the ground - roll it back and forth -
then install strut rods when sitting on tires.

Since you have it apart again - definitely check that the clip
groove edge is not tapered.

Good Luck

76REDSTINGER

NHVette,

thanks for the info
yes new(er),prev owner, 7 leaf big arch spring not flat when installed.

yes i tried to re assemble w/ spring still loaded on rods to trailing arm

never thought to disconnect strut arms.also, i just took bolts off
bracket to diff.

also is it easier to drop whole diff,cover and all? instead of splitting it under car?

will get a good look at groove in yoke...

still worried to let spring ends go with the arch it has....may not get it back together

Rob

FeedVaal

I found it is lots easier to drop the entire diff and work on it. You'll need a large 2 jaw puller or a wacking great prybar to seperate the crossmember from the chassis. Loosen the bolts but don't remove in order to catch it when it lets go. You'll also need the rear up pretty high to clear with the spring still attached.
As to getting the spring ends reattached, you need a good floor jack. Bottle jacks are not stable enough for this. You attach a pair of visegrips just above the jacking point, place a 2x4 block against the visegrips and jack the block. The weight of the car will be sufficient to allow hook up unless you've found a 1500 lb spring. It's usually necessary to jack the trailing arm up a little to get the spring end bolt out and in.

Oh yeah - having lost a clip myself in the past, I never allow the weight of the swing arm to pull against the yoke clip. When jacking the rear, I place a block between the bottom of the swingarm and the frame to keep the relative position of the swing arm as it is with weight on the car.

76REDSTINGER

UPDATE...............

IM stupid....talked to alan at fast corvettes, excellent shop .
i really recommend them.

i had 1/4" space ,on each side, between the spindle plate and the half shaft plate at hand tight and tried to draw the two together with the bolts

the problem is the aftermarket super arch spring the prev. owner put on to use these huge rear tires.

if i had disconnected the spring from the trailing arm I would have been ok

might be a chore to reconnect them this time around, since a have to go find the e-clip that is floating around in the diff

any other suggestions/comments, more is better

thanks
Rob :flag