rear axle will not come out

[hillcountryflt]

Thought I would see if any of you guys have ever had positive results removing an axle from a ford nine that won't budge.
One side came out fine.
Other side will not come out. Bearing enclosure is falling apart, but there are still bearings in there. Five pound sliding hammer has yielded no results.
Axle turns fine. Some up and down play. Have applied some heat (electric heat gun) around the flange where the bearing resides.

[ultraranger]

In the mid-90s, I had a '66 Mustang fastback and was swapping out the 8-inch rear end for a 9-inch large axle bearing rear end I had pulled from a '57 Ford station wagon.

One of the axles didn't want to come out of the housing. I secured one end of the housing to a large eye bolt that was in the floor of the shop (used for straightening frames and such). On the other end, I placed a 2" nylon sling around the axle and then connected the sling to a 135 Massey - Ferguson tractor. It popped the axle right out of there.

[hillcountryflt]

That probably was fun to watch.
Well, I got the axle out this afternoon, essentially using a bigger hammer. The rented five pound sliding hammer had no affect. A local gentleman with extensive experience working on old stuff and big stuff offered me a 25 pound tractor weight and told me to go buy a 36-inch long, 3/4 inch all thread bolt and the necessary washers and nuts. Attach it to the cut out in the lug nut flange on the axle. Straddle it facing the truck and just throw the weight firmly.
Fourth try and it popped right out. Right out of the bearing. Bearing stayed. Broke it apart and now will tackle removing the outer ring of the bearing from the rear end housing.

[ultraranger]

I saw your photo you had posted elsewhere. Looks like the axle seal had been leaking for a while. Kinda odd with all the oil seeping out onto the bearing that the race would be seized to the bearing bore on the end of the housing tube.

At least the axle is free from the housing now. You just need to be careful, while getting the remnant of the bearings race out, not to gouge the bearing bore of the housing end.

Before installing the axle with new bearing, it would be a good idea to apply a thin coat of Anti-Seize to the bearing bore so that you don't ever have to fight this problem again.

[hillcountryflt]

Thanks ultraranger on the idea of anti-seize. Going to look for any place that might be able to press on the bearings today (doubt I will have any luck) and will ask them to put the anti-seize on. Also going to try to, heat, pull, chisel the remnants of the old bearing out.
Luckily my other side is still intact, so I can take it down and get a bearing match. Appears to be two size options for the ford rear end. Will need the oil seal as well for both sides.

[ultraranger]

I would not put the Anti-Seize between the axle shaft and the I.D. of the bearing. What I was referencing was to apply a thin coat of Anti-Seize to the bore on the outer end of the axle housing that comes in contact with the O.D. of the axle bearing.

[hillcountryflt]

Started "chipping" away at the bearing race that did not come out when I pulled the axle. I was told of two easier ways to do it but without a welder, I could not try those approaches. So I took a higher powered dremel-device and start removing the bearing race. Made some headway, but a ways to go. That is some hard material. I am hoping when I get all the way through in one large (two or three inches wide area), that the rest of the race will come out a little easier.

[hillcountryflt]

Finally cut the race through and popped it out. Surface was in pretty bad shaped. Polished it up with a sanding wheel on the dremel. Replaced oil seals on both sides. Waiting on getting bearings pressed on my axles. Thought I was going to be able to press the bearings on myself, but my press does not have an opening big enough for the axle to go through it. Had hoped NAPA would have Timken bearings, but ended up with their brand - still about $34 each. Made in China.
One brake rear brake line leaked a small amount (with all of the moving the drum around), but tightened it back up and seemed to quit (after putting pressure on it).
What I don't get is the rear end vent. No air can get through it. I soaked it in cleaner. There is no air going through it. Should I drill a hole through it? If so, what size?

[ultraranger]

There's a small hole in the nipple sticking out of the housing that the breather hose attaches to. It's likely clogged up with dirt. You can take a small diameter drill bit to open it back up. If the rubber breather tube is old and brittle, replace it. If it's in good shape, make sure you can blow through it.

As the rear end operates, the oil heats up and the rear end will build up pressure inside if the breather tube is not clear (open) to keep the pressure from building up. This probably explains a lot of why the axle seals were leaking because the inside of the rear end was building up pressure to force the gear oil past the seals.

[hillcountryflt]

I ran across some reference that the rear axle vent is similar to a PCV - it will blow air out, but not let anything in. I had removed the vent. It won't flow air at normal pressure in either direction. It had no hose on it's nipple either. Seems like I remember seeing hoses from that area bent into an upside down J and suspended from underneath the bed.

[ultraranger]

I don't know of any Ford rear ends with a check valve in the breather (vent tube).

The nipple for the breather tube on the rear end of your truck should look like this.

http://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/product/ ... bronco-new

http://i40.tinypic.com/141837p.jpg

It just has a small hole in it and a hose that runs up to the frame to keep pressure from building up inside the rear end housing.

The old late '50s - early '60s rear ends had a short nipple sticking out with a loosely crimped cap that went over the end to vent off internal pressure. That style didn't have a hose attached to it.

An old style housing vent can be seen in the following link. The crimp on cap has been taken off. The cap can be seen on top of the axle housing tube, just to the right of the shock.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/attac ... g_0005.jpg

[hillcountryflt]

That's it. Will just drill a hole in it now. Something else to do while I rebuild my differential.
Ran across a 1970 long bed f100 that had been garage kept for the same price I paid for my SB flareside. Wishing I had found it earlier, before I bought this one.