rear axle dilemma

[kyle_22r]

today i became painfully aware of how bad the rear brakes on my '79 are at the boat ramp.  the e-brake doesn't even work on flat ground anymore!  the only way i could stop my truck from rolling was to put it in 4lo and 1st gear since my engine compression apparently isn't that great(it was rolling a bit in 1st gear, 2hi).  the axle seal on the driver's side is totally toast, due to a bent axle shaft(caused by the PO's neighbor driving into the truck and bending the rim).

this presents me with 2 options:
go search to the ends of the earth for a cheap rear axle shaft, find a way to get the backing plate and everything off the old one(don't have a press) and redo the brakes and either repack(i hear it can be done if you remove the seal) or replace the bearing, and put it back together

OR

take the '90 rear i have sitting in my back yard and find a way to build new spring plates and keep my current stock /\  shock configuration, and make my e-brake work.

any insight?  i just want this sucker alright to drive again and have an e-brake and not shake my teeth out or leak gear oil like there's no tomorrow

[WHITE_TRASH]

Why not use theu-bolts and plates that are on your truck now?  Everything will still fit if you are using stock stuff.  The E-brake is an easy fix you'll need to make some extensions for the end using flatbar.  Its really pretty easy to do.

[kyle_22r]

i keep hearing that my stock spring plates wont work since the axle has a 3" wide perch...could they work with it?  i'd do a u-bolt flip but i'd have to weld on new shock tabs and i don't have a welder at the house right now

[WHITE_TRASH]

From what ive been seeing its late 93+ that uses 3 1/8" perches.  Yours should be normal so go ahead.

[kyle_22r]

i just went out and checked...i have 2.5" perches on my truck, and the ones on the axle are 3"

time to call some junkyards

[WHITE_TRASH]

If you need parts for the axle you have now Ive got em'  Ive got a set of shoes in the box still if you want those as well.  Im in prosser but youd save $$ over the wrecking yards even with the gas to come over here.

[FIREBALL]

Run the '90 rear, and get a u-bolt flip kit, or some u-bolts and plates from an f-150. Extend the e-brake cables and your done.
+ you get bigger rear brakes!

[lowgeared]

Am I missing something here??  Just swap the brakes.  No presswork at all.  I am positive the axles pull through the backing plates with the bearing and seal intact.  The hardest thing you'd have to do is bleed the brakes when your done.

[WHITE_TRASH]

The only issue with swapping brakes from shaft to shaft is the drum.  The centering hole is smaller on the narrow axles so if you put the late model brake setup on an early axle, it is impossible to center correctly.  Brainless did that but he had a set of spacers made up that center the newer drum on the old shaft.  I stil say get your but over the hill and Ill hook you up with the parts you need.

[kyle_22r]

Run the '90 rear, and get a u-bolt flip kit, or some u-bolts and plates from an f-150. Extend the e-brake cables and your done.
+ you get bigger rear brakes!

yeah, but what about the shock situation?  stock shocks on a '79 are /\, '90 shocks are more are less straight up and down and one is on the front of the axle and the other is behind

[brainlessfool]

Get your     over the hill and let WT give ya a hand! 


run those 90s

[kyle_22r]

well, change of plans.  i was driving home from a friend's house the other day when i started getting a loud click in the rear end...it just kept getting worse and worse.  sounds like time for a new R&P   now, the only thing good about my stock rear now is the passenger side axle shaft

so i tear down my '90 axle, and lo and behold, i the pinion has 8 teeth and a green dot!  4.38s baby, perfect match!  i figured it had been swapped due to the crappy RTV all over the mating surface, but it doesn't matter now.  only thing wrong with the housing is a siezed bearing on the passenger side axle shaft.

so what's the best way to get this thing mounted under my truck?  are there any spring plates i can scavenge for a junkyard to do a quicky ubolt flip since it's got the 3" wide perch and 3" housing?  i figure i can use muffler clamps like budbuilt to mount my shocks, for now anyway.  also, how would you go about extending the e-brake cable?

[WHITE_TRASH]

Ranger or full sixed chevy are a pretty good donor for u-bolt flips, so are 70's full sized fords.  You might be able to reuse your old u-bolts and plates with a bit of grinding. 

[kyle_22r]

alright, i'll hit the junkyard tomorrow and look for some plates from a fullsize.  my main concern now is extending my brake cable, or will it work alright the way it is?  1 1/2" doesn't seem all that much...

[WHITE_TRASH]

Thats 1 1/2" per side.  you'll need some scrap steel strips about 2" x1/8" x 1/2-3/4" wide to make some extensions to the ends of the cable.  Just drill the extensions for the pins about 1 1/2" apart and install 2 per side on either side of the lever on the drums.

[FIREBALL]

I used F150 ubolts and plates, they worked fine. As far as your shocks go you can either cut off the shock studs off of your old spring plates, and reweld them on the new housing, or use some generic shock studs like the ones that come with the rancho shocks and use them. My local 4wd shop had a drawer full of them.

[yotaboy79]

ive got some shock studs you can have