aftermarket rear axle seal?

cuzncletus

cuzncletus

Senior Member
When I disassembled my '39 rear end, I found two seal "hats" that sat inside the axle tube at either end of rear. These simply slide in and I assumed were the grease seals for the axle. They are basically a flange fitting on the outside of the axle tube with a seal towards the chunk. I started asking my resource of Ford experts including an old retired antique Ford parts dealer and a nationally known antique Ford parts house not too far from my home. No one had seen this type of axle seal, much less stocked them.

My guess is these were a quick fix for leaking rear axle seals. They seem to have worked as my rear end showed no signs of leaking grease into the hub. Does anyone know where to get replacements? (I have new axle seals, part B-4245, but they look like a pain to replace.)
 
Try searching on this forum. These were mentioned with in the last few months. I had never heard of them either, but there were a pair in an axle I bought recently. Edit: I should add that if you have the rear dismantled you ought to replace the proper seals inside the axle bells. then you probably wouldn't need the old aftermarket fix it seals.

Mart.
 
What Mart said.....definitely replace those original type inner axel housing seals, and make sure the seal lip is facing in the correct direction. This has been discussed here in previous posts.

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136802&highlight=rear+axle+seals

I have some of those quick fix type seals that you mention, but I would only use those in an emergency or as a backup. The ones I have came with a group of parts I purchased, so I have no idea who actually makes or sells them. Also, I have seen different types/designs of those quick fix seals. Some appear to be better than others.
 
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cuzncletus said:
(...but they look like a pain to replace.)
Click to expand...

Here's the simple tool to remove? and replace the rear axle seals. It's basically a 1/2" pipe coupling with a washer welded to the OD. You'll need about a 3' length of 1/2" pipe to screw into the tool. Install the new seal with the pointy side of the lip pointing into the differential area. If there's too much pressure where the grease is (heat or whatever) you want the grease to bleed into the gears, not out into the brakes. Lots of vendors have the same tool.

http://parts.modelastore.com/show_Product.asp?ID=3378
 
I borrowed an installation tool from Gene's Hot Rod Parts. I knocked the seals out with a 15/16 socket, no problem. The same seal in the torque tube shaft is the one that looks like a bear.
 
cuzncletus said:
I borrowed an installation tool from Gene's Hot Rod Parts. I knocked the seals out with a 15/16 socket, no problem. The same seal in the torque tube shaft is the one that looks like a bear.
Click to expand...

That torque tube seal comes out easily if you have a stepped diameter pusher plug like I have shown in some previous posts on this same subject. To get the torque tube seal out, I attach the pusher plug to a long piece of 1/2" all thread rod. Insert that thru the rear/banjo end of torque tube and seat it into the seal ID. Then drive the seal and roller bearing sleeve out of the trans end of the torque tube together. The largest diameter of the pusher plug must be sized correctly to go thru the machined seal locating shoulder inside the TT. The new seal goes back in place with its lip facing the transmission, and the roller bearing sleeve goes back in so that a locating dimple fits into a recessed area inside the TT. As a general operating procedure, I always replace all three of those 4245 seals on every banjo rear that I rebuild
 
This is what I found to replace the leaky seal in my '40 convert. I changed the seal with a new proper one later on. These worked fine in the mean time.
 

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Yup, roadster 36, that's them. When I pulled the old seals out of the axle they were completely deteriorated yet the hubs showed no sign of having leaked. These quick fixes evidently worked. The inner lip still looks good and I'll likely put them back in along with new seals. I don't see how they could hurt anything. The outer edges look chewed up, I'm guessing by the axle key? Other than that they appear reusable.
 
The aftermarket outer axle seals worked great, especially on the Columbia OD's. I have a set in my '36, they were made by National which have been there since about 1963.
The beautiful part about about the seals is that they mimic the original seals, allowing some oil to pass through to lubricate the stock roller bearings.
A whole bunch easier that taring a rear end down to replace the inner seals..
 
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