Bronze Thrust Washers

[GeorgeHounslow]

Hi All,

Another question if I may, I had the back axle apart last winter (2022/23) as I wanted to check the thrust washers had been replaced with bronze ones, which they had, there didn't appear very much side to side movement of the back wheels/half shafts/diff assembly at that time but today I checked and there does seem to be some, I wondered if you would know as to the cause of this as it seems quite a rapid change? And as they are bronze is it ok to keep using the car for the time being ( I have rocky mountain brakes)?

Many Thanks
George

[Rich P. Bingham]

Some gear oils are not compatible with bronze parts.
How much “slop” are we talking over how many miles ?

[Rich P. Bingham]

Some gear oils are not compatible with bronze parts.
How much “slop” are we talking over how many miles ?

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

When the rear end was assembled, was there the fiber washer/spacer between the two axles? I've never taken a rear end apart where the fiber washer still existed. If it was fiber, it may have been ground away, allowing some side-to-side movement of the axles. If that's the case, it's not a big deal.

[Allan]

I use one of our brass $1 coins to replace the fibre washer between the axles. They are thick enough that they can be sanded down to make a custom fit for the particular job. A collapsed bronze diff thrust may allow the crown wheel and pinion gear to over-ride one another. Hence the safety compromise, because you will lose the Ford transmission brake.

A collapsed fibre washer will not have the same effect. It will upset the meshing of the axle and spider gears, probably making more noise.

Allan from down under.

[Wayne Sheldon]

I use one of our brass $1 coins to replace the fibre washer between the axles. They are thick enough that they can be sanded down to make a custom fit for the particular job. A collapsed bronze diff thrust may allow the crown wheel and pinion gear to over-ride one another. Hence the safety compromise, because you will lose the Ford transmission brake.

A collapsed fibre washer will not have the same effect. It will upset the meshing of the axle and spider gears, probably making more noise.

Allan from down under.

Allan, I have used an American quarter dollar for those! The fit is near perfect, their copper/nickel composition is much more durable than the original fiber disc, and they are cheaper than the "proper" replacements!