[chirlas]

REAR AXLE AND PROPSHAFT
Brushing, cleaning and painting are easy tasks and pay encouraging dividends.

The diff is clearly marked as a 30 model and a metal label (not in the attached picture) states the relation is 41:9 or 4:56. Next step will be checking backlash and crown/pinion teeth patterns, a complete unknown territory for me. VP Autoparts sells an unexpensive marking compound for checking the patterns.

Propshaft is a 44,5mm Hardy Spicer. The UJs seem to have no play, but the central bearing has a little. The plan is to change the three UJs and the central bearing.

About the axles, I have been said that the bearings are rock solid but I tend to think that trusting on them would be a false economy. They are supposedly just 70k km/44k miles old, but I am not able to test their condition. Do you think todays Timken bearings are on par with the period ones?

And a last question: you can see in picture 1057 a plate welded to the propshaft that reads "2/3". What is that?