confirming the swing arm solid rubber bellow seam orientation

[merrill]

hello
just wanting to confirm the orientation of the seam on the solid rubber bellow for the swing arm.

from my research every indication is the seam is to face down.

i only ask because the seam is up on my axle.

thank you in advance

[DaveB]

Downward is also what I see.
Up would seem to have some advantages though, so why isn't it done that way? Just ease of access?

[DaveB]

Think I misinterpreted your question to be referring to the split-seam, stapled version.

[ja17]

Notice that the solid rubber bellow is not symmetrical. The bellows are longer (higher) on one side. The long (highest) part of the bellows should point upward. This orientation allows more travel for the bellows to move as the swing arm moves downward.

[merrill]

hi Joe
thanks for the verification

the bellow i have has 2 seams one on each side (photo)

i am holding it with the elongated side up , which would be the side on top

[awolff280sl]

Just a heads up fyi:
When I put in a 3.27 with all new MB seals, I somehow ended up with a slight oil leak somewhere around the bellows.  At first I thought it had to be because the ring clamps were not tight enough. But this wasn't the source. The entire bellows was getting slimy with oil over time and a few drops on the garage floor were there. It drove me crazy. Finally, I drove the car to Pierre Hedary. He drained the diff oil and pressurized the rear system with one end of a hose in the fill hole and the other end in his mouth. Sure enough, there was a tiny pin hole in the seam!. A manufacturing defect in an MB part.
He patched the hole with some good rubber paste and no more leaking. This was probably 10 years ago.