Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thx

Zim  

 

I am betting all is fine and it will loosen up once the gear oil and bearing grease break in the new bearings.

Thanks for your feedback. 

 on some installations with a/m axles. the spacer in the center of the twin grip has to be removed. it may be pushing the axles slightly outward and when the retainers/bacing plates are tightened it is binding them. lossen those bolts and see if it turns freely. i would check this before driving to far.

if it is a end play issue it will trash your new bearings quickly.

 i would still check the end play, it should use shims under the left side backing plate to adjust.

call moser and ask them about the spacer, its been a while but i remember something about removing it for some a/m axles i did, may have been another brand so best to call them and get thier recomendations.

 

rick 

 

if it were mine i would:

REMOVE THE SPACER BLOCK IN THE CARRIER, JMO, and i believe moser will suggest the same thing if you call them

do as you please its your car... 

Norm

No, it shouldn't be "tight"  - no tighter than when it had the other axles, IMO.

Since the carrier and pinion were not removed, it's not "nice and tight with new bearings" - since none of that was changed. Only the axle bearings were changed.

The spacer block is used only with the AMC axles as the end play for BOTH axles is set via shims at the left axle - that spacer block makes both AMC axles act as a single unit as far as setting end-play with the tapered roller bearings used by AMC.

With the new bearing style at the axle, you don't want it in there pressing outward on the axles. The axle will have no end play and not need the spacer, nor do you want that spacer pushing on them at all.

I'd take it out.

 

AMXAAR - why would you leave the factory shims in? They were only used to set play for the tapered bearings and won't be needed. They were only on the left side, and some cars might not have them and other cars might have 2 or 3 of various thickness?

Personally, I'd remove the shims - they are another place to LEAK (water in).

With the different bearings on the replacement axles, there's no reason in the world for the shims.

They accounted for differences in the bearings and tubes.

In many cases I've run into with AMC axle assemblies, when I changed bearings it meant adding or removing shims - with NO OTHER changes at all - only bearings - but again, that was setting the play on tapered bearings.

So why would one want shims OR that spacer with new ball bearings?

 

Perhaps if you are changing things in the center you would not use the original shims. 

In order for pressure to be put on the bearing, the axle would need to bottom in the spider and push inward  on it.

Check this out - stock axles do not fit fully into the spider gears - there's plenty of spline left! So if you left out the spacer block, the new axles can slide EASILY at least 1/4" farther into the spider or side gears. In other words, it can't bind. You can see below where the axles have fit into the spider gears, they aren't even close to bottoming. So removing the spacer block means there's no danger of a bind with no shims. I'd bet lunch on it.

.060 is a of a lot of shim.......

Center section removed or not should not matter.

 

I'd be curious - have you tried it with no shims to see if there truly is a bind? Bet there isn't .....

 

(axles showing wear where the spider gears engage on the axle shaft splines - there's room for the axle to actually slide FARTHER in, but the spacer block prevents that - the factory left plenty of spline to allow for movement and end play)

 

As with anything on these older cars, always talk with the tech guys before installing the new parts when using upgraded parts like these Moser axles.

Seriously, a look in the TSM, and a careful check of how they work and go together will answer all questions. (3 months training and a couple years in a Rambler shop didn't hurt, but there's often differences, thus, the look in the book)

Call a tech for advice on their specific parts, look in the TSM for details on how they go together and work, apply logic, it'll all come together.

These also aren't rocket science.........and with the replacement axles, they become more like non AMC differentials - more like GM, etc. so go from there..

You have the tools you need to do it right.

A college professor I had (he was in engines and valve trains) had an interesting way to deal with finals.

IF you didn't know the answer to a question and left it blank, or put in something wrong, it was deducted.

If you didn't know the answer but instead put in how to find the correct answer - in detail, you got credit.

I have no doubt your car will turn out fine.

My bet is removing that spacer block from betweek the spiders (pretty simple to do) will solve the tighness issue.

 

when i did mine i also did a gear swap so the carrier was out. 

 

Not easily, on an open differential there's a pin that holds the spider gear shaft in place and you have to drive the pin out, and remove the spider or pinion gear shaft, then slide the block out the side of the carrier (and thus out an axle tube)

Can't think of a good way........

For the "twin grip" you split the carrier.

Been a while so the details are fuzzy.