Axle Bearing Flange Pin

[Rick Wall]

I am in the process of removing a 356 C axle housing. I notice that there is a somewhat thick vertical pin in the axle bearing flange/shock support. My questions are, what purpose does it serve, and, does it need to be removed in order to pull the axle housing over the axle shaft?

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi if the pin has been reinstalled it may have deformed the tube sufficiently to impede the removal/installation of the axle. removing the pin will facilitate the tube removal but using a little coercing you might be able force it.
j

[Martin Benade]

Are you saying the tube can be removed even with the pin in place?

[David Jones]

That I doubt Martin. That pin will only go into the assembly when the flange is lined up with the groove in the axle tube which determines the correct position on the axle tube for the bearing housing. Get it wrong and you may destroy the wheel bearing because it will be in the wrong position on the axle shaft. At least that is my reading of the need to position it properly.

[Martin Benade]

That’s what I thought but Jacques seemed to say otherwise. I figured the pin was to hold and locate the housing

[David Jones]

Exactly what I thought Martin. Maybe Jacques will elucidate or perhaps Vic, Cliff or someone else who makes a habit of disassembling axles.
I did a lot of them racing Vee cos I bent more than couple of them.

[WilliamVaughan]

The taper or grooved pin secures the press-fit forged (or cast?) part at the end of the axel tube to the axel tube. Assuming you have already pulled the bearing off the axel shaft, you can easily pull the axel tube assemblies off the axel shafts. (Do people really mangle axel tubes so much that they are difficult to remove?)

Learn about the tooling for carefully pulling the bearing first. There are good talk list discussions of that task.

Leave the pin alone. It just keeps the bearing flange/shock support joined to the relatively thin steel axel tube. Don't be touching that while you are working on the floor.

[Martin Benade]

Rick, upon rereading your post ( and comprehending it ), if you are removing the housing/ tube assembly off the axle shaft then the pin remains in place. Once you remove the retainer at inner end and pull out the bearing itself, the housing and tube should slide off easily.

[Jacques Lefriant]

I assumed that the axle bearing was removed and that the axle was not sliding off.
j

[Phil Planck]

I read it as op trying to remove just the housing and not the axle tube. Seems to me would be very hard to do on the car. Doesn't this cover have to be removed from the trans?

PA260001.JPG (84.99 KiB) Viewed 695 times

Then the assembly of housing, tube and cover can slide off the axle.

[C J Murray]

To remove the cast iron housing from the steel tube you remove the pin and press the two apart. This requires unbolting the 6 nuts from the flange which first requires removing the rear wheel bearing which is a press fit onto the axle but a slip fit into the housing. If you pull on the axle in an attempt to remove the bearing you run the risk of dislodging the fulcrum plates and that can be a big problem.

You need the rear wheel bearing puller to remove the axle tube assembly. You need a press to separate the tube from the casting after you remove the pin.

What are you trying to repair/replace?

[Rick Wall]

Thanks for everyone's replies. I should have gone into more depth explaining my goal. I am trying to discover the condition of the axle and fulcrum plates. I suspect there is a problem with one or both. So far I have removed the axle nut, brakes system, brake line and E-brake cable, backing plate, bearing cover plate and removed the 6 nuts the hexagon cover plate on the transmission. So, before I try to pull the wheel bearing from the flange, I wanted to know if the pin would stop the next steps which are gaining access to the axle and fulcrum plates. Hope that helps clear up any confusion I caused.

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi Rick
to see the fulcrum plates you have to remove the differential and the ring gear bolts and the shaft for the small spyder gears. you have to remove the side cover on the drivers(LHD) side. if you had the bearing puller you could remove the axle bearings which would facilitate things. a big puller would allow you push the axle out of the tube. on the passenger side you can leave the side cover and tube if you cam drive out the entire assembly.
j

[Vic Skirmants]

You could use a standard gear/bearing puller and remove the axle tube with bearing, without disturbing the fulcrum plates. The bearing can then be popped out of the housing. You won't be able to examine in detail the condition of fulcrum plates and axle, but you can see if there is extreme slop.
What exactly is the condition you are concerned about?

[Rick Wall]

Vic,
the condition I am concerned about was as loud rhythmic clang-clang noise that seemed to be coming from the left rear axle area. This appeared on the my first drive in the car since I bought it. I recently rebuilt the engine and installed it. Prior to that, the car was parked for 40+ years.