Rebuilding Rear End

[CJHenderson]

How hard is it to rebuild my rear end on my 280? I have it completely out and on a bench. Another question, Is there inner bearings and seals on the axels and if so do the shaft need to be serviced separately? I do have oil leaks on the end of the axels which got on the brakes

[GGR]

These rear axles are quite complex to set up. A complete reseal wheel bearings and bushings replacement is fairly easy. replacing pinion and diff carrier bearings is another story, especially setting up the pinion vs ring position and clearances. One also need to check the condition of the sliding sleeve inside the U-joint, as it is often cracked.

Apart from the leaks, any other symptoms? is it noisy? That may indicate the need or not to replace pinion and diff bearings.

[Rick]

Don't do it if you do not need to.   Also-  do not seperate the swinging axle if you do not need to.  Getting that long rod in and out is terrible and often results in damage.  Replace the axle shaft boot with a split boot which does not require axle tube seperation.  The split boot works quite well.

[CJHenderson]

Thanks for the advice I will just change out the seals and leave the rest to the pros if it needs a complete rebuild.

[ja17]

If you have the unit out of the car, check the horizontal, tubular rubber mounting at the pivot hinge. After 50 years the rubber in these is going bad. You will need to split the axle to replace it. In this case also use the solid boot.