GT6 Diff rebuild kit

[Alex Lowe]

Hi everyone

Was wondering if anyone had pervious experience with the quality of the rebuild kit linked below. If not where the best place to get the parts from would be so as the parts are the cheep ones that don't last.

Also if there were any tips for refurbishing the diff they would be much appreciated 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373426061921?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Def3a67d2c41947fe98a256ad83978252%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D254936584184%26itm%3D373426061921%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Adc58cb8b-ab42-11eb-b38f-aaa7eb62dbab|parentrq%3A2d137a1c1790a1b6728c895afffc5a6e|iid%3A1

Alex

[Mathew]

If you know the sizes a bearing supplier will get you the bits you need, good quality and price. I use BRT in Wisbeach. I have use one in Thetford as well but can't remember there name.

[Colin Lindsay]

Interesting kit, it's fairly comprehensive but there's a lot there you may not need. If you leave out all of the mounts nuts and gaskets it's really only the two side bearings and oil seals, plus the front pinion seal - that does usually leak.

How much are you intending to do to the diff, Alex? I've just checked Paddocks where the bearings are about £5 and the oil seals £1.50. The rest of that kit seems to be the nuts for splitting the case, replacing the gasket, and tightening up again, only really of use if yours is leaking from the case joint.The socket head screws rarely wear so you may need those or you may not, otherwise it's just the spring washers that need replacing on reassembly. 

If you're removing the front pinion nut mark both nut and shaft and count the number of turns to remove; then when you replace it you can at least go back to the same starting point. I don't think the GT6 ever had the collapsable spacer, unless the very late versions had?

[Alex Lowe]

7 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Interesting kit, it's fairly comprehensive but there's a lot there you may not need. If you leave out all of the mounts nuts and gaskets it's really only the two side bearings and oil seals, plus the front pinion seal - that does usually leak.

How much are you intending to do to the diff, Alex? I've just checked Paddocks where the bearings are about £5 and the oil seals £1.50. The rest of that kit seems to be the nuts for splitting the case, replacing the gasket, and tightening up again, only really of use if yours is leaking from the case joint.The socket head screws rarely wear so you may need those or you may not, otherwise it's just the spring washers that need replacing on reassembly. 

If you're removing the front pinion nut mark both nut and shaft and count the number of turns to remove; then when you replace it you can at least go back to the same starting point. I don't think the GT6 ever had the collapsable spacer, unless the very late versions had?

Hi colin a good point as to why i am rebuilding.

The main reason is to stop oil leaks as from what I can tell the bearings don't seem to bad but I wasn't sure if it was worth replacing some of them while I am in there. 

It should also be a late diff as the car is a 74 registered but again I'm not sure how to tell all iv found so far is a strange blob of red paint on the case

It may also be worth mentioning during removal the main drive flange that connects the the prop got slightly bent not sure it it would be ok to heat it up and try straighten it or attempt to aquite a used one which I have no idea where to get one from.

[johny]

Has the front nut got a split pin through it? If so I believe it will have, as Colin says, a solid not collapsible spacer...

With the flange theyre quite soft so shouldnt need heat to straightening it. The hard part is how to hit it without distorting the whole thing and I think it needs to be done using some sort of dolly and against a solid flat surface. Finally you could use a little filing to ensure the joint face is perfectly flat.

If you do replace the flange then the number of turns counted on the nut will probably no longer be relevant however if a solid spacer type you should just take it to the specified torque anyway. 

[Colin Lindsay]

56 minutes ago, Alex Lowe said:

Hi colin a good point as to why i am rebuilding.

The main reason is to stop oil leaks as from what I can tell the bearings don't seem to bad but I wasn't sure if it was worth replacing some of them while I am in there. 

It should also be a late diff as the car is a 74 registered but again I'm not sure how to tell all iv found so far is a strange blob of red paint on the case

It may also be worth mentioning during removal the main drive flange that connects the the prop got slightly bent not sure it it would be ok to heat it up and try straighten it or attempt to aquite a used one which I have no idea where to get one from.

If the red paint is on the diff flange it may be to mark where it was torqued up to. I'd certainly agree that if you're going to the bother of removing and repairing the diff then do as much as you can to it while it's out, whether it needs it or not...!

With regards to the diff flange, if you can get it perfectly flat again no problem but any slight wobble will make itself felt whilst driving, and become an annoying vibration. Second hand ones should be relatively easy to source. (Usually until you need one, then they mysteriously vanish.)

[Nick Jones]

The side shaft bearings must be removed to get at the side seals and this often destroys them as they are very tight on the shafts. You know that are tight when you are leaning on the puller/press and the air is suddenly full of flying steel balls.....

You sometimes bend the seal plates too but they are easy to straighten.

Buy good quality branded bearings (Timken, SKF etc) from the bearing number. Even the best are not expensive. IIRC they are C3 suffix due to the tightness on the shaft.

Nick

[Alex Lowe]

28 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

The side shaft bearings must be removed to get at the side seals and this often destroys them as they are very tight on the shafts. You know that are tight when you are leaning on the puller/press and the air is suddenly full of flying steel balls.....

You sometimes bend the seal plates too but they are easy to straighten.

Buy good quality branded bearings (Timken, SKF etc) from the bearing number. Even the best are not expensive. IIRC they are C3 suffix due to the tightness on the shaft.

Nick

Would you know what the bearing number is so I can get a pair ordered up for the side shafts?

 

[Pete Lewis]

yes agree the output shafts can end up in a giant vice and bounced all round the garage 

never wrecked a bearing but while its off  its wise to replace,  as colin says you only need two bearings and 3 oil seals 

one thing out the box     the front frame should be held on with internal star washers and special wedgelock bolts  as the holes in the frame are bigger than the bolt threads  if these work loose you lock the propshaft up 

[johny]

3 hours ago, Alex Lowe said:

Would you know what the bearing number is so I can get a pair ordered up for the side shafts?

 

Its listed as a RLS7 or LJ7/8 but dont know the suffix as Nick points out...

[Pete Lewis]

canley dont sell rubbish 

https://www.canleyclassics.com/?catalogue=triumph-gt6-mkiii&diagram=triumph-gt6-mkiii-rear-axle-centre-details

 

Pete

[thescrapman]

The coloured paint usually indicated ratio.

Red is 3.89 I think.

The paint colour changed by model, so 1 colour on 1 model may not be same ratio on another.

I think pink is 3.63 

[ed.h]

Couple of thoughts on buying a rebuild "kit".

You probably wont know the brand or quality of the bearings.

A good rebuild includes shims with thickness determined by a measurement process.  Unless they include a wide range of shims, you may still have to find the right ones.

You might be better off buying needed parts individually.

Ed

[Pete Lewis]

think we are on simple  rebuild kits,  these  do not in general include pinion or crownwheel bearings  so you wont be upsetting or touching the mounting distance of backlash 

so there wont be any shim work this time round   ( corrected that    Pete)

sorry memory lag   https://www.canleyclassics.com/?diagram=triumph-gt6-mkiii-rear-axle-centre-details&ptno=D28R

the main objective is to solve shaft oil leaks not rebuild a full diff which needs much more detailed measurements as you say 

Pete

[PeteH]

"Kit`s" for many things are often put to-gether with an "eye" to cost, the resulting "quality" can suffer. I am fortunate in that we have locally a specialist bearing supplier. Over time I have had bearings from them and seals, so long as you know the correct  specification. Many bearing manufacturers make the same bearing in differing tollerances for specific purposes. When rebuilding manufacturing machines for example, The tolerances need to be tighter than say for the  "lawn mower".

BTW During WW2. They would run the fast Gunboats, stripped down, to Sweden at great risk just to get a few crates of bearings (SKF?) for the likes of Aircraft Engines. (As Micheal Cain would have said "not a lot of people know that".)

Pete

[Pete Lewis]

Im sure for a while one supplier did an exchange short shaft  to save the hassle 

but  cant find it  today 

Pete

[68vitesse]

Sourced the half shaft seals from a local firm 162-112-037 the bearings are standard metric 6205/C3, this is for my diff not sure if they fit all, the rear case gasket ended up making my own as the one supplied by one off the usual suspects was to small.

Fitted a drain plug while diff rear case was off.

Regards

Paul

[johny]

ooops yes I quoted the bearing size for the earlier Spitfire/Herald units😵

[Alex Lowe]

So I have ordered seals and bearings as advised. getting the bearings from Canley. I'm a bit confused though as thought the output shaft bearings were a standard ball bearing yet iv been sent tapered roller ones.

Are these correct or is there an issue?

Iv added a photo of the exact ones received 

[Colin Lindsay]

The input shafts definitely aren't. I can't remember off-hand right now but I think the outer and inner pinion bearings might be?

[Alex Lowe]

Yeah I think iv accidently ordered the carrier bearings which from what's been said I should leave alone. Hope returns to Canley's aren't to bad and reorder the correct bearings 😂

[johny]

Yes the output shaft bearings arent tapered so should be quite a bit cheaper.

The problem with changing any of the 4 taper bearings in the diff is that they have to be preloaded (under a set pressure when done up) and also affect the correct gear teeth engagement so its quite a specialised and fiddly job to get all that right...