Folks,
It doesn't appear to be coming from the pinion side; it just seems to be wet and drippy around the bottom circumference. These ain't the kind like 10 bolts & 12 bolts where you just pull off a cover, change fluid, and replace gasket, huh?
Thanks.... John

 

Not sure, does it have a cover on the back of the differential?

 

Seriously?

I was hoping somebody could do a little better than that....

 

John, it's like a 9-inch Ford rear end. The gearset and carrier comes out from the front of the pumpkin. Pull the axles out of their retainers and the thing should come out easily.

These rears are used on 57-64 big Olds and Pontiacs and had a reputation for being damn near bulletproof. They were/are very popular in drag racing circles and far as I know parts supply is still good because of that.

 

Thanks, Glenn.... Kinda' figured as much. Sounds easy if you say it quick: "Pull the axles." But when you're dealing w/ a car that's almost 50, you never know what you're gonna' find.

For now, it'll just be check the fluid and wipe off the pumpkin. I'm assuming there's a gasket b/w the carrier and the pumpkin that just gave up after all these years.

And yeah, I've heard of that legendary reliability.... thank God there's something I can more or less rely on (although the motor seems great for now after the rebuild).

Maybe the rear end is just a little compensation for having a Slim Jim ...!!

John

 

Not trying to be a hard_$$ here but...

Yes, seriously! I'm not looking at your car and have no idea what was done to it in the past 45 + years. You could have answered your own question in less time that it took you to post your question just by looking under your car.

 

You can easily obtain rebuild kits and new gears for these units. http://fabcraftmetalworks.com/

I haven't bought from them yet but they've been helpful. I'll be switching to a 3.42 ratio on my open differential. Haven't been able to find a Posi.