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2)
It is worth soaking all of the parts, such as the diff balls and diff halves in
something like white Spirits or other degreasing agent prior to building
the differential. This removes any of the residue left over from the
manufacturing process, and ensures that all of the parts are as clean as you
can hope for prior to building the differential.
Shimming the Differential
Once you have built and have carried out the preliminary
adjustment of your differential, it is time to install it in
your car.
Take care at this point to ensure that you not only installed
it in the correct side of the chassis, but you shim it
correctly. Put the diff into the chassis with enough shims
on the none drive side to prevent any lateral movement in the gearbox case and
spin the prop a few times to settle everything. At this point there SHOULD BE
NO GREASE ON THE TEETH AT ALL.
Place your first finger behind (smooth side) the crown wheel and gently twist
itso the mesh between crown and pinion was slackened.With your other thumb
nail rock the pinion and check for the backlash. If there is backlacsh then swap
a shim from the none drive side to crowwn wheel side to tighten the mesh. Repeat
the check / shim movement proceedure over and over until there is no slack in the
mesh. Then swap one shim back. This should leave no backlash when unloaded
and only a very slight backlash when checked as above. It is only necessary to
shim the rear differential in your car.
Perhaps the most daunting part of the build, as this is where the components are
epoxied together, and if this step is messed up, then the whole transmission can
be exceptionally problematic.
The best way to build the prop shaft is to TAKE YOUR TIME. Do several "dry
runs" and carefully ensure you have no more than 1.5-2mm of end float. ("End
Float" descries the movement of the propshaft in a forward and back motion
away from the crown wheels.) The best practice here is to put a small score mark
in the prop shaft, where the one way and the slipper slutch will sit when they are
correctly fitted, and the epoxy has dried. If you mark the propshaft during the
final dry run, you can be sure that all will be well when you glue the parts togeth-
er. Don't forget though, because you are using epoxy, you can purchase a "five
minute" drying time resin, which gives you plenty of time to ensure a correct
build.
A good tip, when building the propshaft is to "springload" the assembly.
Springloading the assembly is NOT a fix for having too much endfloat
in the drivetrain, but it is a way to seemingly prevent the propshaft
leaving the mounting flanges of the pinion , which is possible in cer-
tain circumstances. To "springload" the transmission, you need a small
spring. One out of a pen is absolutely ideal. You simply insert the spring
in the open end of the one-way housing where it slips onto the propshaft,
and it has the efect of pushing the propassembly backwards, and the one-way
bearing forwards, whilst allowing the propshaft to move within the range of the
end-float built into the propshaft.
The Prop Shaft.
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