Assembly of my 1928 Durant differential

[Durant Mike]

Any pointers about putting back together my 1928 Durant differential. The guy that painted it took it all apart to paint the outside and gave it back to me in pieces. There is no manual on this thing?  I know I have to put the front shims back as they came but I find no gasket between the two rear halves.  I would think it would leak, but someone told me just put a thin layer of form a gasket and bolt it together. Any other things I should be careful about?

[37_Roadmaster_C]

Hi Mike,

 

I know nothing specific about Durant, but I would look things over with a critical eye.  Depending on how the differential is built the gasket question you pose might have more importance than just leaking gear oil. It is possible that the gasket thickness may effect the preload on the bearings.  It is probably unlikely, but I am having that exact problem with a modern (1996) GMC differential.  Just look things over with the question in mind... Would spacing of the two halves effect the pressures on any of the parts?   The only other thing I would be careful about is WHO I let work on my car.  If someone takes it apart, they should be able to reassemble it properly. If they cannot then they are a hazard to your classic....

Robin

[nickelroadster]

I have never heard of a painter that would take things apart to paint them and then hand back a pile of parts.  There is a fair amount of information on different rear ends in the various Dykes manuals .  Do you know who made the differential?   If you were lucky, the same unit may be in Dykes.   I rebuilt a differential from a teens Olds that I learned enough about from Dykes to do the job, even though they didn't have my specific  model in there.  Of course I got to take mine apart which you will not be able to do.  I would be most unhappy with the painter.

[Rusty_OToole]

Durant was an assembled car, they bought all major parts like engine, trans and rear axle from outside specialist suppliers. Your axle was probably a common one used on several different cars. If you provide some photos someone here will be able to identify it.

 

Once you know what kind it is, and what cars it was used on, it should be a simple matter to find a repair manual with complete specs and instructions.

 

Or ask on the Durant board http://forums.aaca.org/forum/55-durant/

[Friartuck]

As Rusty_OToole hints, it maybe as simple as find the procedure for an aftermarket assembly, Timken as an example. The adjustment between ring and pinion is critical, Backlash.

[Durant Mike]

Rusty & Nickel Roadster it's a long story but the painter has a restoration shop that does mostly muscle cars. He has a full blast service and he's done many of my parts for me. He had a guy that would take apart his differentials, corvettes, mustangs, etc and repair when needed and put them back together after blasting and painting. Unfortunetely this guy retired and moved out of the area leaving this job just not put back together. If you look at my listing, you will see I'm the President of the Durant Car Club and have posted on their forum also. I was trying to get some opinions on from others.  I will try to find out what type of differential this is, and the only input I received from club members was that there was no gasket between the two halves of the differential, they were just bolted together tightly.  Thanks for the input, I'll just figure it out.

[wcd30]

Look in the Tech section of the DMAC site and you will find what you need.

[Rusty_OToole]

Here is an old tip from the aircraft and motorcycle world. When you put together two case halves and want them oil tight with no gasket, coat them with Permatex #2 and lay a silk thread on the surface.