Can someone please post information on proper safety wire technique for the ring gear bolts and differential cap bolts.
Thanks in advance
Try this link. I posted this "How To" thread on this site.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215935
Synopsis;
1. Use 0.025 to 0.032" stainless wire
2. Place wire to tighten the bolt.
3. Use 6 to 8 turn per inch
Great article
The safety wires have little to do with keeping the bolts tight. The wire mostly keeps them from falling out of the hole and getting into the gears if one does come loose.
My method of wiring bolts is similar to what they did at the factory. Run a wire through the holes so if one comes loose the wire holds it in.
They should not come loose if you use good bolts and tighten them sufficiently. I tighten the bolts with a 9 inch long box end wrench smacked with a big hammer until the wrench rings about a high C note. I've never twisted one off or had one come loose that I know of.
I also put a Belville washer on them before I tighten them. I wouldn't use a regular split lock type of washer.
Stan,....sent you a "PM" as I have a question,....harold
I checked McMaster Carr, they are %1.90 each, expensive to use in place of normal lock washers.
The ones I use are 12.16 cents apiece. There are ten bolts on the ring gear. That's a Dollar and Twenty Two Cents.
https://www.mscdirect.com/FlyerView?pagelabel=2075&search=67495846&contentPath=/ sales-catalogs/big-book
BELLEVILLE WASHERS
HARDENED STEEL SERRATED TOP AND BOTTOM.
These spring type washers are also known as conical washers. They hold tight where heat or vibration can cause loosening.
Available #6 to 1 inch.
Flat Washers | Type: Belleville Washer | Material: Steel | System of Measurement: Inch | Screw Size: 5/16 | Inside Diameter (Decimal Inch): 0.3310 | Outside Diameter (Decimal Inch): 0.5120
Product Specifications
Type Belleville Washer
Material Steel
System of Measurement Inch
Screw Size 5/16
Inside Diameter (Decimal Inch) 0.3310
Outside Diameter (Decimal Inch) 0.5120
Thickness (Decimal Inch) 0.0310
Order Qty: Order Qty of 100 = (100) Pieces
In Stock: 13423
Price:
$12.16 per 100
Quantity:
Quantity:
Enter in multiples of 100
Import from Taiwan
MSC DIRECT PAGE 2075
I didn't bother safety wiring them. I just used good ol' Loctite, and I've never had a single bolt come undone that I've used Loctite on. The key is to make sure that the bolt and the threads in the ring gear are completely free of junk and grease. Some good carb cleaner usually does the job beautifully.
Stan - Disregard my "PM"! Your most recent post on this thread answered my question; thanks for the additional information,....harold
This is one place you should not take chances with. The rear axle is unsprung, so it receives every bump in the road. Like Loctite? Use it and then safety wire the bolts too.
I have been told you should not use Loctite any place it could potentially be exposed to bearings by circulating grease or oil... Advice one of my suppliers got from an engineer at Timken... Its one of the first things they test for in most warranty claims... If a failed bearing tests positive for any residue, then no warranty! It seems that even a very minute amount of residue can contaminate the lubricant and cause bearing failure.
Personally, I wouldn't trust Locktite but I seldom use it on anything. Partly because every time I buy a little bottle it gets old before I need it for something again. The critical thing here is holding that ring gear for the radial thrust that is taken by just ten 5/16ths bolts. I use new, grade L9 bolts instead of the Ford bolts for standard rear ends and the special Ruckstell bolts for Ruckstell ring gears.
The stock system has always seemed pretty suspect to me but there seem to be few or no failures using the stock T bolts. I've torn down well over 100 rear ends and in probably 1/3 of them there are loose bolts, more than once I've found a bolt floating around in the grease. Or pieces of a bolt. I use Belleville washers and safety wire although I don't do it aircraft style like Royce shows.
Thanks for the info. I plan to follow Royce's advice and use a tinch of loctite plus safety wire.
Do I safety wire the differential carrier also? see below. Doesn't seem like it would do much. Would cotter keys be better?
To me, safety wire is very old-hat. I've never had a single issue with a bolt coming undone on which I've used Loctice. I had a hot-rod '65 Beetle that put out about 180 horsepower at the wheels. I used Loctite on all of the bolts that would experience the most stress in the drive train. I never had a single one come loose, and the car ran like a top until it sheared all 8 dowel pins on the crank, rendering the car immobile. I had used Loctice long before the incident on the gland nut, and it still held tight. When I tore the engine down, I found that the flywheel had been slipping on the gland nut, but the gland nut was still plenty snug and took about 450 ft-lbs to break it loose. Thank goodness for the 3/4" impact wrench!
I've taken apart several Model T differentials where the bolts had come loose and the safety wire was the only thing preventing complete carnage. If you want to use Loctite too, go ahead. Then safety wire the bolts properly.
The differential is taking a real beating in a Model T, because it is unsprung and every bump in the road is felt there. It's not a volks buggen, so don't think for a minute that anything you know about them applies here. A Model T differential is not the place to save five minutes because you are too lazy to install safety wire.
Stan is is it still ok if the ring is in high F or G?
Philip -- Cotter pins are fine there, since it's bolts with nuts, not just bolts going into a threaded hole.
Philip, yes you should safety wire the nuts on the differential housing. The wire not only keeps the nuts from backing off but it also prevents the studs from backing out. If you used cotter pins on the nuts, the studs could potentially back out of the case.
There is a reason a large majority of the hardware on aircraft is safety wired and not installed with lock tight, because it works better.
John, C b is OK but C # is too tight. Need to hit the wrench an inch from the end and not quite as hard. Use a BFH but with only a big hit, not a BF hit.
There are two kinds of bolts in the housing. The early ones are a bolt and nut, they are OK to use cotter pins. The later ones are a stud into a thread in the housing. They need to be wired through the head.