Hey everyone,
I had a hard time reading this on my 79 Ranchero, so I hope its right, only the top numbers should be off if any. Can anyone tell me what the spline on my axles is? Here's the code off of the plate. Its a 79 9 inch, 2.75 gears and its an open diff
LEB BN 9EB
275 9 812A
I found on the internet that the top may be WEB BM instead of LEB BN. I also read that you can look in the center of the brake drums to see. I have the 3 holes which would make it a 31 spline, but i was told it was at 28. Can anyone tell me how to just take the axles out so i can count them? I heard its not hard. Also, how would i know what diameter of carrier bearings to use since I'm putting in Summit's locker? If anyone can help, i would greatly appreciate it!
Danny

 

i also have the hub centers with 3 holes in my 72, i pulled one out and it's 28 spline. urban legend busted. there are four bolts holding a retainer plate around the axle inside the drum. you go through the hole in the axle flange with a socket to get to them. shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

 

I found the same.The only Rancheros that may have come with 31's would be the high performance. That eliminates anything after 71.

 

I would be 99.9% certain you have the 28 spline axles. My 78 has them. All late models I have seen have the same. I also discovered that car and Ranchero axle bearings are not interchangable, despite what the dummy at the parts store tries to say. My axles are a few thou fatter and have heavy duty roller bearings, not the car ball bearings..

 

Thanks for your help guys! But i now i ran into a problem!
So to start things off, im restoring this 79 ranchero that has been sitting in a field for 4 years. I say that because here is the problem. I was in the process of taking my axles out today, and when i finished taking the last nut off of the axle plate, i couldn't budge the axle. I ended up putting the drum on and using that as a slide hammer like i was told (i didn't put it all the way on either, so thats not why the housing came with it). I got the axle to come out, but i ran into a problem. I noticed that not only the axle came out, it took the brake housing with it. I can't seem to get the axle to break free from it. I know its because its been sitting so long and has a little rust bonding, but i can't break it apart! The rubber gasket around the roller bearing broke, and half of it was stuck in the surface rust area. If anyone has any ideas on how to break this free, that would help greatly!
Another question while i'm at it , if i bring in my original 3rd member, my new gears, and my new detroit locker, and the installation kits (bearings, shims, etc.), does the shop need anything else to install and check backlash? They don't need the axles or even the whole rear-end do they? Differential's are something that im learning, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks for putting up with me guys!!

 

The backlash can be set with just the third member. that's the beauty of these rearends. I don't understand your first predicament. You're saying the brake backing plate came with it too?

 

Thanks for the help!
Yeah, the brake backing plate came too! I took the 4 bolts off and took a screwdriver to the axle retainer plate, so i know its off. But the axle wont budge from the backing plate. Any ideas?
Danny

 

there must be crud built up around the hole that the bearing comes through. just scrape the crud with a pick or such, the hole is a tight fit for the bearing but it does fit through. maybe put the nuts back on to hold the backing plate but not the retaining plate? and lightly lever off of the brake shoes with a couple big screwdrivers? or do the reversed brake drum slidehammer trick?

 

hey everyone,
i finally got them out! I decided to use a crowbar and i stuck it in between the retaining plate and the brake back plate. I pushed as hard as i could and i heard a loud pop. I saw it finally break loose, so i went to the other side and pop, there it came! It ended up being rust that bonded those two together. So if anyone comes across it, use a crowbar!