Topic: 68 3rd member detail

[calcoral]

i picked up a 68 3.25 open 3rd member from a 390 gt car that a friend parted out 30 years ago with very little surface rust. was going to restore it because of its condition but i would like to see some pictures of original or correctly restored units.i have done 70 models for my mach 1    but never any 68 models...any help you could provide would be great . i dont know what plant it was from or have the tag either .    thanks lee

[J_Speegle]

All rearends were assembled at the Sterling plant do for finishes they are pretty much all the same no matter the year (64-71)  8' and 9" makes a difference.

So you have a dark epoxy somewhat shinny red oxide coating applied before machining so any of these areas will be bright and shinny, with no coating once finished. Your 70 would or should be pretty much the same with the two or three machined spots on the bottom side. The face of where the pinion attaches as well as the face or forward end of the pinion retainer with machined surfaces also. Of course the face that attaches to the rearend housing would be machined as well as many other internal surfaces but those can't be seen once its all installed.

Will see if I have some examples with lightly rusted machined surfaces and a nice coat of paint still on them as I don't often collect pictures of restored cars and parts since they are often not exact representations of the original details

[lightwtjet]

A nice write-up on restoring the 3rd member is in the Powertrain Section
https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=3512.0
I followed most of it on mine. I could not locate the red oxide he used so used Rustoleum Flat Red Primer and added a light coat of clear semi gloss. This is the time to consider replacing the pinion seal. Setting the pinion bearing preload is recommended for that.

[J_Speegle]

A nice write-up on restoring the 3rd member is in the Powertrain Section
https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=3512.0
....

Be  careful with some of the info in that thread since there we were discussing an 8" from a different year.

lightwtjet - Nice original style U joint not an easy piece to come up with when you need one.

In the picture you posted where did the details as how you applied the orange? 

Have not seen that before on an original. Would love to see a picture before you painted everything.

On the driveline end the yoke was painted before being welded to the driveshaft tube and fully then machined so where it meets the tube ther would be paint up to where the paint would have been burnt off front the heat of the welding. Believe you will find a fair number of original paint examples in other threads. Of course have many more

As for the rearend yoke I've not seen any orange. Typically depending on where on the yoke you find yellow spray and sometimes a blue spray closer to the washer though we are getting a bit away from the intended focus on the third member itself

Will not add pictures of the details I'm referring to above so to not pull the discussion further in that other direction. If need be those can be discussed in another thread 

[J_Speegle]

Here are three pictures of an original paint and finish 68 9 inch rearend and one restored to highlight the lower passenger side machined spot. 3rd member main case is dated 7L and pinion retainer 7H

Did include a couple of arrows indicating that the face of the housing was also bare steel where the gasket would sit

Hope these help

[lightwtjet]

lightwtjet - Nice original style U joint not an easy piece to come up with when you need one.
You are correct- the u-Joint pictured was the original one. It was not worn, but the cork seals were falling apart. I tried to save them with RTV but could not.

In the picture you posted where did get the details as how you applied the orange? 
The rear of my d/s only had a very small amount of orange remaining. I could not find orange on the axle yoke. I compared pictures on your website and the 428CJ site and added just enough paint at the rear to make it evident. I did not find orange at the front but the dark purple markings on the yoke was clear.

For those working on these very heavy 3rd members without a bench fixture - I found that you can use one of the large white buckets to hold it. My bucket was slightly too large but the addition of a piece of angle iron worked. I draped a garbage bag on the bucket before setting the 3rd member in it to keep the gears clean.

[rockhouse66]

The X-O Rust primer will give you a smooth finish with some sheen out of a rattle can.  Does a great job replicating the original red finish in one step.


https://www.idealtruevalue.com/store/p/177818-1267P-12-OZ-Spray-Red-Interior/Exterior-Professional-X-O-Rust-Rust-Pre.aspx?feed=Froogle&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzby1BhCQARIsAJ_0t5OO5OgQ4RCUe83mQeynGaEGaoTE9A_sc4ofgnjtSYTMSiga-Lx__1YaAjimEALw_wcB