Axle Quick fix seals which direction?

[deuce_roadster]

Forespeed, Yeah those will keep the oil out of your drum for a while. Keep in mind those are a band aid kind of fix. I would use one on a road trip but I don't think any that you find would be less then 50 years old and probably would be temporary in nature.
But the short answer is yes they would "work".
P.S. I only have 1 car that is concourse judgeable.

[blucar]

During the mid 50's and '60's the National external axle seal was a very common fix for worn out internal axle seals. I have a set in my '36 that have not given me any problems during all of the years they have been on the car.
The internal factory type seal does work well, however, they require a complete dis-assembly of the rear end in lieu of just slipping in the external seal..

[deuce_roadster]

Fourspeed, if you do replace them and the axles have grooves where it rides, make a couple 3/16" spacers to move the seal slightly where it runs on the axle. That is easier then putting on a speedy sleeve or trying to find a NOS axle.

Only the axle housing has to come off. If you change both, you can pull the axles and ring gear out as a unit and put back in as a unit, the rest of the rear end banjo you leave alone. You just have to make sure the new gaskets are the same thickness as the old ones on each side as that is how the gear setup is set.

[Mart]

Forespeed, they will work in your application, but someone has already fitted a seal in that location. That is not the factory seal. You need to dig out what has been fitted already so you can fit the new ones. As it is not possible to see what has already been fitted, it not possible to say whether just knocking it further in would be ok.

You have to understand that these are not the correct way to do it but a quick fix. If you can do it right, do it right, if you are happy to give the quick seal a go and maybe do it right when more convenient, then give it a go. You just need to get the existing non original seals out of the way first.

Mart.

[Fourspd2quad]

I have some ‘40 bells that the seal fits fine into.
I am wondering if not all housings accept these seals.
I looked closely again and tried to displace something in that area but it appears to be all the hub. It is also seamless on the ID and i couldnt feel an edge using a thin piece of wire.

[Lawrie]

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The early axle ends have a smaller ID,
Lawrie

[Fourspd2quad]

Originally Posted by Lawrie

The early axle ends have a smaller ID,
Lawrie

Thanks Lawrie. This confirms what I feared but at least I know the path forward.

[Fourspd2quad]

Hi All,
I just wanted to wrap up this thread with what I learned via JM 35 Sedan. John sent me pics of '35 axles vs '37-40 axle housings that show how the repair seals don't fit in the earlier housing due to their hole being too small to accept the seal. The pics show used and unused seals. I can't confirm if there was an axle repair seal available that would work on the earlier axles but based on what I learned there certainly isn't much space between the axle and housing. Thanks everyone who contributed and especially John who took the time to take these pics and gave me permission to share them! Time to fix the leak the correct way!