Am I trouble here? Gears turned inside diff housing

[ColinOpseth]

Hey guys,
I know this isn't a truck question, but since I have a '70 CST big block shortbed I figure I'm allowed to post.

I am working on my '72 Vega. It has a 12 bolt with 3.31 posi in it. The axles are c-clip eliminator axles with no c-clips but 9" ends on it. I removed the axles to change the stock length wheel studs for longer ones.

In that process, it appears I may have turned the differential and one of the thrust washers fell out (the ones held in by the cross shaft bolt). At that time, one of the spider gears (or whatever they're called) turned and I can't get the cross shaft back in. Do I have to pull the whole unit now to fix this? They are seriously wedged in there but the rear end isn't binding at all.

Any help is appreciated. I'd like to get the Vega out and cruise. It's a beautiful day today!

Thanks,
Colin

[fattyarbuckle]

no, you don't have to pull the entire chunk...you just got to hold your mouth right, they will go back in.

[ColinOpseth]

Here are a couple of picture.

[fattyarbuckle]

posi...may be a little tough but you can still do it.

Hold one side and rotate the other

[ColinOpseth]

fattyarbuckle,
Hold one side as in, prevent one of the axles from turning and turn the other?

[fattyarbuckle]

Yep, that's the only way you will line it up.

You may need a friend for some help depending on how strong the posi is.

[ColinOpseth]

Thanks for the help. Off to the neighbors for assistance.

[benoit454]

nevermind you sad you were pulling the axles so you removed the shaft or pin in there. I never had a problem with them just had to turn it around but being posi and the washer coming out makes it a bit tougher.

[fattyarbuckle]

Originally Posted by benoit454

nevermind you sad you were pulling the axles so you removed the shaft or pin in there. I never had a problem with them just had to turn it around but being posi and the washer coming out makes it a bit tougher.

In that process, it appears I may have turned the differential and one of the thrust washers fell out (the ones held in by the cross shaft bolt). At that time, one of the spider gears (or whatever they're called) turned and I can't get the cross shaft back in.

yep, he removed it, that's why he can't get it back in.

[ColinOpseth]

Yeah, unfortunately I removed the cross shaft when I didn't even need to. Whoever originally converted my Vega to a V8 installed a narrowed 12 bolt in the car. They also upgraded to a c-clip eliminator kit so my axles don't have the groove for the c-clip. Had I known that, changing the wheel studs would have taken about an hour. Now it's taken significantly longer, lol.

I got it all lined up but can't get the washers back in. The second one fell out as the pinion gears came into alignment. Fun. Any tricks to getting these little suckers back in their places?

Thanks for the help,
Colin

[benoit454]

I always left them stuck to the back side of the spider. maybe some vasoline or wheels bearing grease to help keep them in place?

[ColinOpseth]

benoit454,
I didn't mean for them to fall out. Even better is the fact that I didn't need to pull the cross shaft at all. My car has Ford 9 inch ends on the axle tubes so I could have pulled the axles to change the wheel studs without having to go through this hassle.

After cruising the Internet I found out that I have an Eaton posi in the car. I took out the 4 springs and two plates to get the washers back in but can't figure out for the life of me how to get those two plates and four springs back in the diff. Anyone want to shed light on my predicament?

Thanks,
Colin

[fattyarbuckle]

put them back in the same way they come out.

[Captainfab]

To get the plates and springs back in, you'll have to put them together as they would be inside the carrier, and compress the springs between the plates. I've used a couple C-clamps and a couple pieces of 1/4" flat bar. It's a little tricky and takes some thought and trial and error to get it back in where it belongs. And be careful in case that assembly should fly apart.

Originally Posted by ColinOpseth

benoit454,
I didn't mean for them to fall out. Even better is the fact that I didn't need to pull the cross shaft at all. My car has Ford 9 inch ends on the axle tubes so I could have pulled the axles to change the wheel studs without having to go through this hassle.

After cruising the Internet I found out that I have an Eaton posi in the car. I took out the 4 springs and two plates to get the washers back in but can't figure out for the life of me how to get those two plates and four springs back in the diff. Anyone want to shed light on my predicament?

Thanks,
Colin