Posted earlier on the low growl, that likely happen when the pinion gear moved from the modern bearing set-up, upsetting the ring and pinion mesh, leading to my noisy axle that was always rather quiet. Fixed that with re-setting the pre-load and secured that set-screw locking collar, adding a smear of LockTite 640 Sleeve Retainer under that collar, to give more security.
Then fitted the tube to the drive shaft , after installing a new bronze front bushing, replacing the damaged needle bearing thingy.
Following Glen Chaffin's advice, reamed the face of the new bushing to have only a few thousands clearance to the face of the u-joint, to maintain that important thrust surface if needed. Bought the vendor face reamer, but that is a nice sharp tool, but difficult for me to face off much, has tiny handles, and likely the tool cutter was patterned off a old reamer, made for babbitt bushing. So.....used the hint that Steve Jelf posted a few years ago, using a disc of sandpaper to sand down the face to get to tolerance!
Tool made from a hard woven cutoff blade, made to the diameter by running the disc on the elec. drill, with the edge of the cutoff blade on the running wheel of the bench grinder, shaving the dia. of the blade down to the o.d. of the bushing face.
Reamed and sanded the face until the rivet pin for the u-joint slipped in with ease.
A few more trial fits, taking out the drive shaft each time, now with some Prussian Blue on the u-joint face, sanded and reamed away more a bit at a time, until no more blue ink smear on the face of the front bushing.
Now with the driveshaft done, the modern pinion set-up correct, and u-joint pinned, installed the drive shaft with more Prussian blue on a pinion tooth, and rotated to test ring and pinion mesh. First without gasket, then with paper gaskets, got a nice satisfactory contact of tooth on tooth. Good enough.
Now for swinging that rear axle up on the engine, and hang it from the rear spring, ready to road test without some low axle growl at road speed
