[gtobreaux]

[QUOTE=dld;4043840]Ask John V first He was first to post one. But the 64 I will sell. Have housing only.
What is casting number on 64 housing you would sell, please? What is date code, please?

[dld]

gtobreaux

If that question is to me .It is the one I posted pics of

That Julian date deal sounds like a vendor.
maybe McKinnon or Detrot Gear and Axle........ Ect.

[John V.]

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the existence of the 9773722 Axle Housing, but here is what I believe to be true about the Axle Tube markings.

For '65, the Housing "should" be cast p/n 9779822, has the new for '65 ears for the larger on housing bushings. Some late built '64s might have gotten Rear Axle Assemblies with this casting but the stamped codes should be '64 style.

For '65, Pontiac went to a new Manifest Code system using 2 characters to identify components of the Final Assembly build.

This was true for Engine Assembly identification (WS, YT, etc.) and for Rear Axle Assembly identification. In the case, of the Rear Axle Assembly, the 2 character stamped code identified the axle ratio, the differential type (open or locking), and also the brake type (standard or metallic) since the Rear Axle Assembly was installed at Final Assembly with the brakes already in place.

So for example, it was possible to equip a '65 GTO with the 3.23 axle ratio with or without optional Saf-T-Track locking differential and with or without the Metallic Brake option.

The (4) Manifest Codes used were WF (std brakes, open diff), YF (std brakes, locking diff), XF (metallic brakes, open diff) and ZF (metallic brakes, locking diff). Note, the 2nd character F in the Manifest Code related to the 3.23 axle ratio.

'64 identification was done differently.

The '64 Tempest Shop Manual explains how the Rear Axle Assemblies were supposed to be marked. This consisted of a color code system on the end of the axle shaft plus a numeric ratio stamped on the axle tube.

At mid year, Pontiac issued the attached Service Craftsman News (not dated, but it was the 1st SCN issued in Calendar Year 1964, so perhaps distributed in Jan. or Feb. '64 (the last issue distributed for Calendar Year 1963 was No. 7 and dated "Nov.-Dec., 1963" and typically the SCN's were issued about every other month. FWIW, the last one issued during Calendar Year 1964 was No. 6 dated "Dec., 1964").

SCN No.1 1964 included information about a change in the way the 1964 Tempest Rear Axle Assembly was identified "Due to changes in manufacturing procedure".

These changes eliminated the use of the color code on the end of the axle shaft to ID the ratio. There would still be a color code on the end of the shaft but it was not to be used to identify the axle ratio. That could only be done by reading the stamped code on axle tube.

Now, if you read the '64 Shop Manual, it describes the stamping on Page 4-5 and on Page 4-24, there is an illustration of it for a locking differential code.

For the Open Diff, the numeric ratio only would be stamped. For the Locking Diff, the numeric ratio would be followed by an L.

A 3.23 Saf-T-Track Axle Assembly would be stamped "3.23 L" according to the Shop Manual.

In actual practice, the stamped codes that I have seen are always preceded by the letter "P".

So you would find "P 323 L" stamped on a 3.23 Saf-T-Track Axle Assembly. I omitted the decimal. If that was actually stamped, I'm not sure you would ever be able to see it clearly.

The SCN might be somewhat misleading in that the color coding id was replaced with the stamped number on the axle tube, as if the stamped number was not being applied early year.

I do not believe that is true. The Shop Manual says otherwise so I believe the correct interpretation is that the SCN is simply informing the Dealer Service people that the color coding can no longer be used to ID the axle ratio, only the numeric code that was stamped on all '64 Tempest Rear Axle Assemblies should be used.

It is not clear what the purpose for the "P" might have been in this identification. From what I have found, the '64 Olds F-85 (the Olds A-Body) also had the same stamped codes and an Olds site suggests "P" indicates the vendor. This reference did not make it clear if "P" meant Pontiac was the vendor or if any other vendor supplied Rear Axle Assemblies.

Buick Specials may have used the same rear but decode info on '64 Buicks is impossible to find.

I haven't seen a great many, but I have always seen the "P" prefix on the '64 axle tubes along with the numeric ratio.

dld, p/n 9773369 was issued way too late to have been used as an O.E. p/n for any '63 application. Also, the O.E. '64 Tempest Differential Case p/n's were typically 977338*, so issued around the same time as the 9773369 cast housing p/n.

The p/n 9773722 was issued just a short time later and long before any part nos. were being released for the '65 Model Year.

If p/n 9773722 was a superseding p/n, it would have superseded 9773369 before '64 production began.

Since there are a lot of 9773369 housings in existence under '64 Pontiac A-Bodies, I think the best explanation is that these were alternate p/ns. As I suggested before, perhaps from 2 different foundries.

dld, the dimension difference was bugging me so I just went out to doublecheck my measurements for one of my 9773369 rears and also the 9779822 rear.

Looks like I screwed up when I posted in that earlier thread. Mine both measure 54.25", same as you have measured. Hope I didn't foul anybody else up.

gtobreaux, I wouldn't be so quick to think the julian date doesn't fit a 10B Time Built Data Plate code.

The Data Plate code does not tell you the date when the car was final assembled.

We have no idea where the housing was cast even if you can be positive that the 323 means it was cast on Oct. 19, 1963. We have no idea how fast the casting moved from the foundry to Rear Axle Assembly and we don't know where the rear was assembled.

All of that may have happened at the Pontiac Complex. I know for certain that blocks were cast and wound up in Engine Assemblies that were original to all sorts of '64 Pontiacs final assembled at the Pontiac Complex that seem to have "impossible" block cast dates for the Time Built codes on the Data Plate (when I recorded them, these were often in run of the mill Pontiacs, not highly restored and therefore "suspect" examples).

Understand that whatever the meaning of the Time Built code, it was coded by Fisher Body before the Body Assembly reached the Body Bank and the final assembly sequencing of the Body Assembly was not established until the Body Assembly got to the Body Bank.

Your rear might not be original to the 10B car but I'm not sure how you would prove that.

[dld]

John, it appears that your 64 method of decoding rear diff assembles carryover to 65. At least to Nov.

After posting that one of my rear housings had no markings I looked a little more and found some. (imagine that)

I suspect that the P is assemble plant code . It appears that gm had many. Just as a example the guide Corvette buy the numbers list one for 65 and up to 8 for 72. These are all one letter codes

As to the Olds diff. I made a call to my old Balto plant super. He informed me that the olds and Buick used the same rears as Pont. He said it was a BOP division of sort That grouped parts to share in mfg. to save time and money.

Where is Alan Clovin when you need him.

[JCBINC7]

Is that 3rd picture on the 9779822 rear?

[dld]

Yes