Waiting for spring and the seats from the upholsterer, I decided to re-do my Twin Traction posi for the ’66 Studebaker. I earlier built the unit with 3.55 gears. I now want a higher radio than the 3.31 gears presently in the car. The engine is a bit noisy at speed. Going with 3.07 gears will lower the rpm by something under 200 at all speeds. That should noticeably reduce engine noise and give better mileage. The engine is plenty strong enough and if I really want to start quick I can always pull the shifter into low for a first gear start instead of the usual start in 2nd – a quirk of Studebaker Flight-o-matic transmissions.
Good thing I kept my Dana 44 case spreader tool.
The manual recommends that the case be spread a maximum of .020. I found this hard to tell even with a gauge. In the end I just opened it up a 1/2 turn at a time until I could just get the posi unit and ring gear out.
Posi unit and pinion out. So now I have a used 3.55 ring and pinion set for someone. I have the proper bearing remover so the bearings can all be reused.
Cleaning up the cover I noticed that the read sealant was filling gaps in the body/cover surfaces. I’ll be using sealant for sure when I put the cover back on.
Last job except for the seats is getting the hood back on. With a little help from my coffee buddies it’s back in place 🙂
Next:?