Didn't quite know how to title this, as I have several questions, all different from one another; but all part of the same job I am doing.
First of all, the t-case has had a leak since I got my 40, which is a '66. However, I think the t-case is a '78-'80. It doesn't matter much, I don't think, as my questions are basic. I needed to replace the t-case rear output shaft cover gasket because I have a leak which drips off one of the cover bolts right onto the parking brake cable. Then it goes into the brake and now the brake won't hold. I haven't yet figured out if the oil is the only reason the brake doesn't work. I just pulled it all off and haven't even cleaned all the parts yet.
Sorry for all the questions, but I am clearly a novice. Aside from a tune-up and basic maintenance, this is the second time I've dug into anything major. The first being a front axle rebuild a few months ago which so far is holding up perfectly, thanks to help from members of the board. I got enough confidence from doing that job to do more, but I am basically just learning along the way. I've done a lot of searching on the forum already, but can't seem to find some specific answers I'm looking for.
So, question 1 is....
1) the shoes aren't damaged other than being all slicked with oil. There is about 3/32" left on them. What is the thickness on a new shoe? And should I bother cleaning these up if they're that oily? Not sure they will ever work well again or not.
3) the previous owner did a 350 swap and added a cross member support on the transfer case rear output shaft. That is where the leak was coming from. The bolts where the leak is were quite loose. I contacted BTB, who the cross member came from and he advised changing the bolts on the rear output cover to studs to prevent future leaks like this. Is changing the bolts to studs really ideal? Or should I just loctite them back in when replacing this time around? I don't understand how studs will be a stronger hold than bolts and not sure if it's all that necessary. I'm planning on calling them tomorrow as the gentleman (can't remember his name right now) was very kind and helpful when I called to ask for the gasket. Until then, I figured I would see what y'all think about that here.
3)I can very clearly see the oil dripping off the rear output cover, so I know that's one source of oil in the drum, but when I got the brake drum off, there was a lot more grime and metal dust than I expected. I am wondering if the seal there is leaking too. The seal *looks* good and there are grooves in the drum shaft, but they're not that deep. So how bad does the shaft need to be before I consider a speedi sleeve? If it's not all that bad, would it hurt to sleeve it now anyway? Here's a pic, I can get measurements later, my only caliper battery is dead right now. I think I will be pulling everything again soon to do a clutch, which I don't have time for now. So I am thinking about just letting the seal go for now and seeing what happens until then.
4) Next, a much different question pertaining to shifting the transfer case. It appears the previous owner cut the shift gate, possibly in an attempt to get 2L, but from what I see the stick hits the front of the hole in the tranny hump before it ever would have hit the gate. In fact, there is at least 0.25" between the stich and the cut out part of the shift gate. I am able to shift from 2H straight over to the right into low, but I still only get 4L. Only way I get 2L is to leave hubs unlocked. Wondering a few things about this. If I take the stick off, can I realign it further back? I've never taken a shifter off, so I am not sure what happens in there! Is it possible that someone slammed it so hard that it moved? Last question on this is, one day the transfer case bumped out of gear and started whining on me. Pulled over and got it back into gear, which fixed that for the moment. Could that possibly have been because the stick isn't going forward enough to engage fully on the gears and allowing it to slip?
5) Finally, I found those wires you see in the photos tucked in behind the cross member. From other threads here, I found folks saying they are the top gear/emissions wires and the reverse lights are on top of the tranny. Just wanted to verify that I have identified these yellow wires correctly as I want to try and hook up reverse lights at some point. For now, I have rear facing lights on a toggle switch that work alright, but it would be nice if they could come on automatically when in reverse so I don't blind people when I forget to turn off the reverse facing high beams! Not that I've actually done that before....
Oh, one last thing...... I read on another thread that there is preload to adjust in the rear output on the t-case. Am I going to have to do that if all I am doing is changing the gasket? Since I don't know when it was last done, should I just go ahead and do it anyway? Or should I let it go until I do the clutch?
Thanks for taking to help. Little by little, I'm learning my way around this thing!
First of all, the t-case has had a leak since I got my 40, which is a '66. However, I think the t-case is a '78-'80. It doesn't matter much, I don't think, as my questions are basic. I needed to replace the t-case rear output shaft cover gasket because I have a leak which drips off one of the cover bolts right onto the parking brake cable. Then it goes into the brake and now the brake won't hold. I haven't yet figured out if the oil is the only reason the brake doesn't work. I just pulled it all off and haven't even cleaned all the parts yet.
Sorry for all the questions, but I am clearly a novice. Aside from a tune-up and basic maintenance, this is the second time I've dug into anything major. The first being a front axle rebuild a few months ago which so far is holding up perfectly, thanks to help from members of the board. I got enough confidence from doing that job to do more, but I am basically just learning along the way. I've done a lot of searching on the forum already, but can't seem to find some specific answers I'm looking for.
So, question 1 is....
1) the shoes aren't damaged other than being all slicked with oil. There is about 3/32" left on them. What is the thickness on a new shoe? And should I bother cleaning these up if they're that oily? Not sure they will ever work well again or not.
3) the previous owner did a 350 swap and added a cross member support on the transfer case rear output shaft. That is where the leak was coming from. The bolts where the leak is were quite loose. I contacted BTB, who the cross member came from and he advised changing the bolts on the rear output cover to studs to prevent future leaks like this. Is changing the bolts to studs really ideal? Or should I just loctite them back in when replacing this time around? I don't understand how studs will be a stronger hold than bolts and not sure if it's all that necessary. I'm planning on calling them tomorrow as the gentleman (can't remember his name right now) was very kind and helpful when I called to ask for the gasket. Until then, I figured I would see what y'all think about that here.
3)I can very clearly see the oil dripping off the rear output cover, so I know that's one source of oil in the drum, but when I got the brake drum off, there was a lot more grime and metal dust than I expected. I am wondering if the seal there is leaking too. The seal *looks* good and there are grooves in the drum shaft, but they're not that deep. So how bad does the shaft need to be before I consider a speedi sleeve? If it's not all that bad, would it hurt to sleeve it now anyway? Here's a pic, I can get measurements later, my only caliper battery is dead right now. I think I will be pulling everything again soon to do a clutch, which I don't have time for now. So I am thinking about just letting the seal go for now and seeing what happens until then.
4) Next, a much different question pertaining to shifting the transfer case. It appears the previous owner cut the shift gate, possibly in an attempt to get 2L, but from what I see the stick hits the front of the hole in the tranny hump before it ever would have hit the gate. In fact, there is at least 0.25" between the stich and the cut out part of the shift gate. I am able to shift from 2H straight over to the right into low, but I still only get 4L. Only way I get 2L is to leave hubs unlocked. Wondering a few things about this. If I take the stick off, can I realign it further back? I've never taken a shifter off, so I am not sure what happens in there! Is it possible that someone slammed it so hard that it moved? Last question on this is, one day the transfer case bumped out of gear and started whining on me. Pulled over and got it back into gear, which fixed that for the moment. Could that possibly have been because the stick isn't going forward enough to engage fully on the gears and allowing it to slip?
5) Finally, I found those wires you see in the photos tucked in behind the cross member. From other threads here, I found folks saying they are the top gear/emissions wires and the reverse lights are on top of the tranny. Just wanted to verify that I have identified these yellow wires correctly as I want to try and hook up reverse lights at some point. For now, I have rear facing lights on a toggle switch that work alright, but it would be nice if they could come on automatically when in reverse so I don't blind people when I forget to turn off the reverse facing high beams! Not that I've actually done that before....
Oh, one last thing...... I read on another thread that there is preload to adjust in the rear output on the t-case. Am I going to have to do that if all I am doing is changing the gasket? Since I don't know when it was last done, should I just go ahead and do it anyway? Or should I let it go until I do the clutch?
Thanks for taking to help. Little by little, I'm learning my way around this thing!