Spit 1500 Diff

[WIMPUS]

Hi !

Some will have seen that i bought a spare diff for my spitfire last saturday.
I've checked and it is a 3.63.

Now i've got it home from my friend his garage, cleaned it a bit and got the old oil out (was very black).
I've seen that there was some silicone gasket sealant where the diff is bolted together.

Been thinking now of getting it apart to inspect it all & co.

But is there a guide how to get it apart ? Is it 'easy' or not ?  :P

[Clive]

Easy.
You need an Allen key (hex head) to undo the 4 cap head bolts holding each output flange in place. There is one position of the flange you can access each one, but once you see it is obvious.
Once both flanges are off, you undo the bolts holding the rear diff casing. Look after the bolts, they should all have tapered shafts I think.

Do not be tempted to play with the but holding the prop flange in place. Not at all.

[Don Cook]

Play with the what??

[Sheepy]

cliftyhanger wrote:

Do not be tempted to play with the but holding the prop flange in place. Not at all.

That's not a nice way to talk about his friend, even if he does own an MG!  ;D ;D

[Dannyb]

I saw a good vid on youtube awhile ago taking apart a triumph diff. If I find the link I'll post it.

[WIMPUS]

Well i've been cleaning it a bit more this afternoon & evening..
But noticed they had it apart before, seems they used silicone sealant to get it oil tight.
Had 1 bolt out of the diff casing and there was sealant on it also..

Don't know what i'm going to do, maybe just leave it and paint it for now and will see whenever it put it under my spitfire  :)
Noticed i haven't got the correct size of hex head to get the output shafts off.

With what should i paint it ? Regular paint or heat resistant paint ?

Where is the diff number ? I've seen several numbers , also one stamped on the underside)
Is it worth to take it apart to fit a drain plug ?
And where can i find 'good' bushes for the diff ? maybe the best thing is polybush it ?

[WIMPUS]

Some pictures of today  :)

[GT6]

MUST.NOT.PLAY.WITH.BUT

[Sheepy]

It doesn't fit there!  :P

It is worth modifying it now, while its easy to work on, and fit a drain plug. Will make oil changes a lot easier in the future. Plus then you can have a good look inside, and clean it all. You will then know what it is like inside, rather than waiting to fit it and then find a problem.
Do you still have some black paint that you painted the chassis? That will be ok for the diff also.

[WIMPUS]

4058 wrote:

It doesn't fit there!  :P

It is worth modifying it now, while its easy to work on, and fit a drain plug. Will make oil changes a lot easier in the future. Plus then you can have a good look inside, and clean it all. You will then know what it is like inside, rather than waiting to fit it and then find a problem.
Do you still have some black paint that you painted the chassis? That will be ok for the diff also.

For te chassis i just used stone chip paint, bit still got high gloss paint also in the shed (my brother painted some brackets from the GT40 this evening with it  :P).

Just need to have a look for the correct size of hex head wrenches for the output flange bolts .
Do you maybe know where i can find them ? Been looking on ebay, but seems i can't find any   :-/

And when i drill  tap the  diff casing, should it be good enough with metric threads & then with a bolt + copper washer ?

[Sheepy]

Gloss black would be better.

As for the plug, I have a new one with magnet you can have. Not very good doing it with a bolt.

But you will need to find a big tap to tap the threads.

[mikeyb]

bolt and copper washer is how mike papworth does it, just loctite or wellseal the threads

[xebec]

Hi,
What do you guys use for cleaning the inside of the diff as i am busy with my GT6 Diff at the moment. Changing seals etc. Can I use engine cleaner or is that not good for the bearings and seals etc....Rgds, Ken

[Sheepy]

Ken, how steipped is yours? I would use some degreaser, or parts cleaner.

If you don't have that, then some kerosene or diesel, petrol, but be careful using these.

I suppose at a push some very hot soapy water would work, but I doubt as well.

[Sheepy]

MikeyB wrote:

bolt and copper washer is how mike papworth does it, just loctite or wellseal the threads

That would be easier to get a thread tap for! If I remember correct, the diff plugs I have (land rover) are tapered thread also!

[Clive]

Bah. I blame this tablet thing I am using. Keeps changing words like bolt.......or it could be fat fingers.

[cook1e]

Clive,

Sounds like you have the reverse profanity filter on. Filters normal words out and changes them to mild profanities like "but" for comedy effect :-)

[mikeyb]

it is usually the plugs themselves that are tapered, not the holes!

[nang]

I beg to differ! Gearbox etc usually 3/8" NPT. Both plug and hole have tapered thread.
Tony.

[WIMPUS]

Got it open this morning !  ;D

Seems the output ones has had new bearings (made in japan... ).
There wasn't any gaskets there anymore, just silicone gasket sealant.
Everything seems to look as new !  ;D

Going to look where to drill now for the hole for the drain.
Should a M8 (8mm) hole be enough ?  :)

[WIMPUS]

This afternoon i took out my drill and ....

Now we got a drain plug on the diff, it's M8 size.
Think that's going to be big enough  :)

[Sheepy]

The diff looks good, personally I would have done the hole bigger.

But I suppose as long as you get it warm before you drain the oil it should be ok. (still better than having no drain hole)  :)

[Clive]

Japanese bearings are good. As are British and "old" Europe. Wouldn't touch any of the "new" Europe country's bearings, or out of turkey/India etc.
The drain will be slow, buttget there in the end. Not something you do often anyway.

[WIMPUS]

Thanks for the reply's , i can always drill it to M10 or M12..
But draining the oil from the diff isn't a monthly service job so it will do  :)

Also noticed that 1 bush was very cracked and the metal tube (where the bolts goes through) was loose in the bush  :-/
So what's the best thing to do, back to rubber or poly ones ?  :)

[byakk0]

The bushings are not difficult to do, but they do have a steel sleeve. I used a 22mm socket and a large bolt through the other bushing and drove it out with a hefty hammer.
Replacing them is the reverse, though I used a large C-clamp. They went in about 3/4 of the way easily, but then started binding so I removed the clamp and tapped them in the rest of the way with a rubber mallet.