Rob, Thanks for clarifying that. To be clear, you are speaking of the rubber grease Cup Seal?
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Thanks again Dennis! Those pictures and techniques are very helpful.
Today I drained the gear oil for (the second time in a month.... so the inside should be clean), and removed the drive axles. The first one took over an hour as I used a normal ratchet on the M10 bolts, and the outboard side was stuck after I removed the bolts. I eventually I took a piece of 2x2 wood and placed it on the thick metal disc that the bolts pass through. Then I tapped the wood sharply with a hammer. The axle broke free from the flange after that, so it was just stuck.
The second axle only took 10 minutes as I used an air impact wrench, and the tapping technique to release it.
2 of the 4 boots were cracked at the outboard bigger clamp, so their refurbishment is just in the nick of time.
Attachment 47631
Question: were the axles painted originally? If so, was it gloss or satin black? I see the picture on DMC's website seems to indicate black paint.
Dana,
You know the thing to do is disassemble them and have the shafts powder coated satin black. You just mask off what doesn't get coated. [emoji16]
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Well, it's been a while. I disconnected most things to remove the gearbox but didn't feel confident to actually remove it by myself. I knew I needed help.... Then I got the fantastic news that DMCFL was moving to Orlando. So, I decided to wait.
On the weekend I delivered my baby to Tony and his familiar team to get that help.
Attachment 49359
Wow, the construction/ finish work is coming along, and looks awesome! It's just like I'd do it in my perfectionistic tendencies. It's like my Stainless icon is in its second home. The place was filling up fast with cars. The tow truck driver said "it looks like they're collecting DeLoreans!"
Thanks Tony and team! :wiggle:
P.S. Lenny, your car looks great!
Now I can continue this thread...
With my starter and exhaust refurbed already, I focused on the drive axles while my car is queued for attention at DMCFL.
After great informational posts here warning about a messy job on the CVs, I set up a table with a plastic sheet to control the grease as I refurb them...also gloves, many paper towels, and a garbage can nearby. I used a small piece of 1x2" wooden block ( to avoid damage) and a hammer to remove the flange/cover. It was sealed with blue Hylomar, and after I removed it, I gently scraped its residue off both parts.
Attachment 49376
I used this reference photo to reassemble the joint later... i.e. how the inner race aligns with the outer race, thin versus thick edges, etc.
Attachment 49377
I used a pair of snap ring pliers and a pick to remove the snap ring. The inner race came off the axle easily, and I separated the parts. After I wiped most of the grease off the parts I then bathed them in mineral spirits twice.
Attachment 49378
Clean parts. I scrubbed the flanges with a blue Scotch Brite pad...
Attachment 49379
I cleaned up the area and organized my parts for assembling the CV joints.
Attachment 49383
Rich_NYS pointed this out for me in his resto thread...for the inner races, the smooth side on the left butts against the snap ring, and the other side on the right with the raised area butts against the axle.
Attachment 49380
One CV dry assembled. I paid attention to the proper orientation of the inner and outer races, and made sure that the smooth side of the inner race was facing me...
Attachment 49381
And so on. I bagged and tagged each joint's parts to keep them in the same spot on the car...
Attachment 49382
The next step was refurbing and painting the axle rods. I must say that this whole task would be fairly daunting without great resources here, and other owners who have shared their experiences. Thanks all!
Few jobs on this car are as messy and give you a sense of accomplishment as re-doing the CV joints. Nice work so far!
I expected to see far more grease all over the place. Something a little more like this (my CV rebuild aftermath) Attachment 49420
I'll never figure out how you always manage to keep everything so clean and tidy! Very well done!! :thumbup: