[Chris65LeMans]

This was an add-on job from my other thread about my Wilwood brake caliper jumping off at a traffic light.

A repair meant that I'll need to pull both the axles to get the backing plates off. (to replace one, and to check the torque on the second one - apparently Wilwood ships them pre-assembled, but doesn't torque them or use Loctite. When it falls off, they say "you should have taken it apart, torqued it and used Loctite.")

I had never opened a rear-end before, and was intimidated, but it turned out to be a piece of cake - much like when I rebuilt my carburetor.

Here's the step by step:

1. Place a nice, long drip pan under your rear end. (I used the one that I had from my carburetor rebuild. I can soak an entire Holley in it.)

2. Unscrew the rear cover.


3. When you remove the cover, the oil will drain into your pan. (and maybe splash on you a bit.) This is what you'll see:

There's a round spot you see in the middle of the differential, to the right of that big vertical gear. You'll need to remove this rod, but first you'll need to remove the bolt that holds it in. (The hex bolt seen to the right of it.) Working on that bolt, of course, will cause the gears to spin. YouTube said to use a pry bar to hold the differential still. I found it easier to use a properly sized socket on one of those bolts to the left of that vertical gear, and hold that still with my left hand while I loosened the other nut with my right.

Once that's done, the YouTube videos I watched said to use a magnet to remove this. I found just reaching to the back with my finger and pushing it out from there was easier. (it goes all the way through.)




4. Once removed, spin one of the axles so that you're looking at this. That horseshoe-shaped clip is the "C Clip" that holds in your axle. Push in the axle and reach in to remove that clip. (In the videos, that clip is magically pointed in the right direction for reaching in with pliers and pulling them out. Again, I found using my fingers easier.)


5. This is what the other side looks like with the C Clip removed.


6. Pull that axle out, and put it somewhere safe. (I set my rear wheels on the garage floor and stuck the axles upright in them.)


Yep - this work was all productive: That backing plate is bent and needs to be replaced:


Hope this helps!