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Part Five: Howl? Growl? Whup-whup-whup?
Find out how you can get involved with the next 'Wheel of Dreams' project. Email Michael Clark today!
michaelclark@mts.net.
michaelclark@mts.net.
This is the story of the '40 Chev raffled off in '08. Reprinted with the kind permission of Michael Clark.
These are the sounds that can make all the difference when diagnosing a differential. "Each sound that comes from the differential is a sign of what's coming," said Jim Constantinides, Driveline Technician at Precision Transmission. Constantinides recently dismantled our donor rear axle for the Wheels of Dreams project car; an early-Seventies 10-bolt unit which has been the mainstay of GM rear-drive products for decades. "This is a generic differential," said Constantinides.
Luckily, the unit has seen a relatively-sedate driving history. The howls, growls, and whup-whups are sounds that are normally associated with bearing wear. Sounds occurring under acceleration, deceleration, or all the time, are factors that your Driveline Technician needs to know. All of the bearings and axle seals will be replaced on the 10-bolt. The axles, and the ring and pinion, haven't experienced any wear concerns that require parts or rebuilding. Constantinides has determined the 10-bolt to possess a 3.08 axle ratio. "The ratios are important, depending on what you're doing with it," said Constantinides. "A 3.08 is a good all-around ratio." Axle Ratio 101 works like this; the higher the ratio, the lower the number, which is perfect for wrangling mileage. The lower the ratio, the higher the number, which is a must at the drag strip.
The housing of the differential was obviously sized for a different vehicle, so Don Park from the Hillbilly Garage removed the existing spring perch locations, before shipping the housing off to the crew at Winnipeg Sandblasting. It will then return to Precision Transmission, where it will be completely cleaned before reassembling. Following this course of action should eliminate any concerns for the sandblasting silica to compromise the new seals. This unit started life with rear drum brakes, which will remain, with completely new hardware. They're more than adequate for our needs, with the Macgyvers front disc array handling the brunt of the stop force.
Precision took care of supplying a rebuilt Turbo-Hydramatic 350 three-speed automatic for our '40 Chevy. "They're easy to find, and easy to get parts for," said John Soares, Transmission Specialist at Precision Transmission. It can easily handle the 290 horses whipped up by our 350 small-block crate engine, donated by Vickar Community Chevrolet.
Luckily, the unit has seen a relatively-sedate driving history. The howls, growls, and whup-whups are sounds that are normally associated with bearing wear. Sounds occurring under acceleration, deceleration, or all the time, are factors that your Driveline Technician needs to know. All of the bearings and axle seals will be replaced on the 10-bolt. The axles, and the ring and pinion, haven't experienced any wear concerns that require parts or rebuilding. Constantinides has determined the 10-bolt to possess a 3.08 axle ratio. "The ratios are important, depending on what you're doing with it," said Constantinides. "A 3.08 is a good all-around ratio." Axle Ratio 101 works like this; the higher the ratio, the lower the number, which is perfect for wrangling mileage. The lower the ratio, the higher the number, which is a must at the drag strip.
The housing of the differential was obviously sized for a different vehicle, so Don Park from the Hillbilly Garage removed the existing spring perch locations, before shipping the housing off to the crew at Winnipeg Sandblasting. It will then return to Precision Transmission, where it will be completely cleaned before reassembling. Following this course of action should eliminate any concerns for the sandblasting silica to compromise the new seals. This unit started life with rear drum brakes, which will remain, with completely new hardware. They're more than adequate for our needs, with the Macgyvers front disc array handling the brunt of the stop force.
Precision took care of supplying a rebuilt Turbo-Hydramatic 350 three-speed automatic for our '40 Chevy. "They're easy to find, and easy to get parts for," said John Soares, Transmission Specialist at Precision Transmission. It can easily handle the 290 horses whipped up by our 350 small-block crate engine, donated by Vickar Community Chevrolet.
Soares treated the tranny to a full teardown. "We get it as clean as clean can be," said Soares. All of the bushing, clutches, and related internals are upgraded to better-than-new specs.
Sometimes, the best part is one that was originally intended. There's no better place to find it than Mid-Canada Suspension. Norm Dumontier has one of the most impressive inventories of vintage OEM stock, stacked some 16 feet high in his South Fort Garry warehouse. Dumontier supplied the original-spec two-piece bushings for the rear leaf springs. They have the added benefit of lube fittings. "There's certainly a lot of history in this building," said Dumontier. "If no one else can find it, I usually can." His stock of tie rods, ball joints, even kingpins number in the thousands.
Thanks to the web, Dumontier is constantly scouring the globe for a whiff of automotive-related estate sales, and auto parts store closures. The walls of his office are thick with vintage parts reference books. Some of the 1929 Chrysler text took a little while to get here. "It took three months," said Dumontier. "They came from a dealership that closed in 1938, in Nepal."
Back at the garage, Don Park is hard at work, with a mock-up engine and transmission. It's necessary, to fabricate the required mounts for the frame. Once in place, the frame will return to Winnipeg Sandblasting for final touch-ups, and an impressive top coat treatment that you'll hear about in the coming weeks.
Sometimes, the best part is one that was originally intended. There's no better place to find it than Mid-Canada Suspension. Norm Dumontier has one of the most impressive inventories of vintage OEM stock, stacked some 16 feet high in his South Fort Garry warehouse. Dumontier supplied the original-spec two-piece bushings for the rear leaf springs. They have the added benefit of lube fittings. "There's certainly a lot of history in this building," said Dumontier. "If no one else can find it, I usually can." His stock of tie rods, ball joints, even kingpins number in the thousands.
Thanks to the web, Dumontier is constantly scouring the globe for a whiff of automotive-related estate sales, and auto parts store closures. The walls of his office are thick with vintage parts reference books. Some of the 1929 Chrysler text took a little while to get here. "It took three months," said Dumontier. "They came from a dealership that closed in 1938, in Nepal."
Back at the garage, Don Park is hard at work, with a mock-up engine and transmission. It's necessary, to fabricate the required mounts for the frame. Once in place, the frame will return to Winnipeg Sandblasting for final touch-ups, and an impressive top coat treatment that you'll hear about in the coming weeks.
Previous portions of this story can be found here.
