Rebuilding the 8-inch rear end, Part 1

Several years ago, I bought an 8" rear end from a guy, and it has sat, pretty much untouched, ever since.

I decided it's time to clean this thing out and rebuild it myself, with the exception of the third member.  So, last week I hooked up the wire wheel to the angle grinder and went to town.

This week, after doing some research, I began working on removing the axle bearings, seals, etc.  A friend and I had pulled the axles a few years ago, but the axle seals were still inside the housing, and were not budging.  After several hours though, they finally pried loose, and cleanup began. 

Here's how the axle housing looked, before using Simple Green Max degreaser to clean up the inside.  I'd guess this crud was 1/8" thick.



After using the Simple Green and several rags...

From All Mustang Pics

Not all the way clean, but much better.

I also cleaned up the axles using Simple Green, and gave the axles a very light sanding to remove some of the oily varnish sludge gunk stuck on them.  Sanding the housing was quick with a wire wheel, but not very accurate.  Using a foam sanding block took care of the curves and tight spots, but was expectantly slower.  Now to go get these bearings pressed off, and new ones pressed on.