Ok, thought I'd update as I somehow found some time to work on the stuck 8 3/4.
First, I bought another b-body rear
to use for the Challenger as I was envisioning this not happening and the price was right (thanks Scott!)
I also cut the cover off of the back of the housing. A little time consuming, but not too bad. With not much work I managed to get the right axle and pinion spinning pretty freely. With a TON more work I managed to get a little movement out of the left axle. It seems to me the the outer bearings aren't the problem, I think the axles are actually rusted into the carrier at the splines. The spider gears are pretty crunchy too, which I think is why the left axle has issues. The axle seems to turn on its own, but as soon as it takes up the play and starts trying to move the spider gears it gets rough. I think the whole thing was sitting without oil in the center for some time, its pretty nasty looking in there. Maybe some water in their too?
So I'm going to de-rust and soak the whole carrier, would probably have been easier with the cover still on the housing (d'oh!), but then I wouldn't know what was up. Fortunately I don't need it anytime real soon, I can just prop it up, fill 'er up and let it soak in various different de-rusting and oiling concoctions. It'll probably end up in my NEW '71 Dart GT
, after I get it unstuck, weld the cover back on, and maybe add a brace for good measure.
