Mustang Rear End Service

To remove the carrier

1. Raise the vehicle and support it with jackstands.
2. Remove the rear wheels and drums. There should be three Tinnerman nuts on each drum from the axle shaft flange studs. If there is any difficulty in drum removal, back off the brake shoe adjusters.
3. Working through the hole in each axle shaft flange, remove the nuts that secure the rear wheel bearing retainer plate. Pull the axle shafts out of the axle housing on each side. Install a nut on one of the brake carrier plate retaining bolts to hold the plate to the housing after the shaft has been removed. Remove both of the axle shaft seals.
4. Make scribe marks on the drive shaft end yoke and the U-joint flange. Disconnect the drive shaft at the U-joint, then remove the drive shaft from the transmission extension housing. Install an oil seal replaced tool in the housing to prevent leakage.
5. Remove the carrier retainer nuts, and drain the axle. Remove the carrier from the axle assembly.

To reinstall the center section

1. Clean the axle housing and shafts using kerosene and swabs. Do not allow any solvent to be directly applied to the axle bearings. Clean the mating surfaces of the housing and carrier.
2. Position the carrier on the studs in the housing using a new gasket between the carrier and housing. Install copper washers and the carrier-to-housing retaining nuts, then tighten to 30-40 ft. lbs.
3. Remove the oil seal tool from the extension housing. Position the drive shaft so that the front U-joint slip yoke splines to the front transmission output shaft.
4. Connect the drive shaft to the axle U-joint flange, aligning with the scribe marks on the end yoke and axle U-joint flange. Install the U-bolts and nuts and tighten.
5. Install new seals to the axle shafts using a seal installer tool. Soak the new seals in light weight engine oil for about a 1/2 hour before installing them. Installing the seals without the proper tool can distort the seal and cause damage.
6. Coat the outer side edges of the seals with a hardening type of sealer such as Permatex No. 2 or its equivalent.
7. Install the axle shaft assemblies in the housing, the short one goes in the left side. When installing an axle shaft, place a new gasket on each carrier plate, then carefully slide the axle shaft into the housing. Start the axle splines into the differential side gear, then push the shaft until the bearing bottoms in the housing.
8. Install the bearing retainers on the attaching bolts on the axle housing flanges. Install the nuts and tighten.
9. Install the drums and retaining (Tinnerman) nuts.
10. Install the rear wheels and if the rear brake shoes were backed off, adjust the brakes.
11. Fill the rear axle with specified lubricant. See Fig.1