Rear Suspension Rusty (2 Aug 2011)

As with all of the suspension pieces, the rear parts were very dirty and rusty...I want to assemble the entire rear axle at once so I'm cleaning and painting all parts and then assembling.

After blast cabinet (2 Aug 2011)

These are pieces from the previous photo after I ran them through my blast cabinet.

POR 15 (3 Aug 2011)

Just like the front end pieces, I POR 15'd every suspension piece. I then dusted them with primer while they were tacky...let them dry, and then primed and painted with Rust-Oleum HPE in gloss black.

Rear Parts Ready! (9 Aug 2011)

Man it will be so nice working with cleaned parts, plus I still have my bolt packs from Pat Mahoney (purchased years ago).

Backing Plate Rough (9 Aug 2011)

The rear brake backing plates can get pretty beat up from banging on them to remove them (they get stuck and rusted as well). The edge should be relatively straight as it helps keep junk out of the hub.

Bang It Out! (9 Aug 2011)

I blasted the rust off and then hammered out all of the bad bends...I also slowly bent all of the lip sections back up to a fairly presentable state.

Cut the Collar (10 Aug 2011)

The rear bearings of the Roadster are held on by a press fit collar. This item should NEVER be reused...it can be pressed off, but I decided to cut it to avoid subjecting my axle to my press twice. I cut the collar as low as I could without hitting the axle.

Snap that Collar (10 Aug 2011)

After using the Dremel to make the initial cuts, I simply took a chisel and with a few whacks the collar split and I was able to remove everything.

Axle Parts Ready to Go (12 Aug 2011)

I bought all new parts for both rear axles and treated the hubs to the Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel.

Axle Assembly (12 Aug 2011)

The first item on is the grease seal; it has a spring tensioned ring that fits right over the axle.

Axle Assembly (12 Aug 2011)

There is a small ring that installs with the taper towards the axle and the flat surface towards the bearing race...I assume the purpose of this is to give the bearings a flat surface to ride on.

Axle Assembly (12 Aug 2011)

To complete the axle I installed the brake backing plate, the bearings (I packed them at this point), and then the collar. I flipped the entire axle over and used my press to seat the collar.

Axle Complete (12 Aug 2011)

This is the complete axle ready to install into the rear carrier, now I will repeat the steps for the opposite side.

Rusty Adjuster (12 Aug 2011)

Both of my rear brake adjusters were rusted BAD...they would not turn and I didn't want to ruin the adjuster screws, so these will need a good soaking and cleaning.

Adjusters Soaking (14 Aug 2011)

I placed the adjusters into small bags and filled them with PB Blaster...after two days I was able to get the adjuster separated.

Clean Adjusters (15 Aug 2011)

After the PB Blast bath, I used my Dremel with a wire brush and then buffer to really clean up the adjusters. Now they move freely and the adjuster properly clicks with each turn.

Axle Carrier (15 Aug 2011)

As with the rest of my cars undercarriage the rear end was pretty rusty.

Foam Cleaning (15 Aug 2011)

Since this was too large for my blast cabinet, I went old school and used some engine cleaner and wire brush scrubbing.

Dusting the POR 15 (17 Aug 2011)

After the Marine Clean and Metal Ready prep I POR 15'd the entire carrier. I simply covered all ports and threads and went to town. While the POR 15 was just setting up I dusted the entire piece so paint would stick to the POR 15.

Primed! (19 Aug 2011)

After the POR dried for two days, I primed the entire carrier.

Painted (20 Aug 2011)

For the rear end, I went with Eastwoods Chassis Black vs. the Rust Oleum...I really believe after all of the steps this area will hold up well to its environment under the car.

Scroll Installed (22 Aug 2011)

I don't know the correct order to assemble the rear end, but this worked for me...I installed the rear scrolls first. The PM bolt packs had all new hardware for this area.

Comp Pads (22 Aug 2011)

Dean offers a stiffer set of pads for the rear end. I purchased the complete kit and every part fit perfect.

Old vs. New (22 Aug 2011)

You can see how worn the old pads were when they are next to new ones.

Brackets on Springs (22 Aug 2011)

Next I sandwiched the upper and lower pads on and their appropriate brackets

Rear Connection (22 Aug 2011)

I installed the rear spring (these are the Nissan Comp springs...very stiff and flat, to compensate some I removed the smallest plate from the springs) to the scroll using new bushings that come in the rear end kit.

Carrier on Springs (22 Aug 2011)

With both springs attached to their rear scrolls, I set the axle carrier on the springs. There is an alignment hole in the carrier's brackets that fit over the mounting tab on the pad "sandwich" shown above.

Rear Bump Stops (22 Aug 2011)

Next I installed the rear bump stops. These are new comp bump stops from DatsunParts.com...I could have just cut down my old ones per the Competition Prep manual, but these already come shortened.

U Bolts (22 Aug 2011)

To complete the attachment of carrier to springs I put the U Bolts over the assembly and used the four new nuts to tighten the unit up...once everything was seated I torqued them to 35 ft lbs.

Front of Spring (22 Aug 2011)

To complete the spring attachment, I lifted both springs and attached them to the frame with the special purpose bolt designed for the front bracket.

Rear Shock (22 Aug 2011)

The rear shock is pretty straight forward...I used new nuts, but reused the original washers as they have a slight cup to them to ride over the shocks upper bushing.

Rear Shock (22 Aug 2011)

The bottom of the rear shocks ride in the plates on the springs...my only mistake here was I cut the line that was keeping the shocks compressed before I had them aligned with their holes...sucks to compress a new shock by hand. I used after market bushings for the bottom mounts as the KYB ones were too small.

Torque Rod (22 Aug 2011)

The 67.5 and later Roadsters had Torque/Torsion Rods to help reduce wheel hop from the axle winding up.

Diff Seal (24 Aug 2011)

I cleaned up my Diff and installed new gaskets at the pumpkin...I have a LSD unit on my race car and was tempted to put it on this car, but someday I hope to return the racer to the track so this will do for now.

Diff Seal (24 Aug 2011)

Here is the seal installed, I put a light coating of grease on the splines.

Front Hub (24 Aug 2011)

I completed the diff by installing the hub on and tightening the castle nut...I installed a new cotter pin and the diff is ready for a driveline.

Inside Axle Seals (25 Aug 2011)

Before sliding the rear axles into the carrier you have to install the inner axle seals...there is a large washer/spacer that goes in prior to the seal...the slightly tapered edge goes to the inside.

Axles In! (25 Aug 2011)

I put some grease on the axle splines and then slowly slid them into the carrier...I turned each axle until the spline met up with the diff side gears and then seated them in with a satisfying "thunk" when they bottomed out. Note: when you remove your axles there will be "shims" behind the brake backing plate..you will most likely need the same amount of shims when you reassemble your car...I had two on one side and three on the other.

New Brake Cyl (25 Aug 2011)

The brake cylinder is installed from the inside and a series of shims and plates are installed on the backside to hold them into place.

Dust Seal (25 Aug 2011)

After getting the puzzle of shims and plates installed on the brake cylinder I installed the rubber dust shield over the entire assembly.

New Shoes (25 Aug 2011)

The next step was to install the brake shoes...I found it was easiest to install all of the springs with the shoes "folded" and them snap them open into place. Notice the brake adjuster is completely closed.

Brake Drum (25 Aug 2011)

Finally I installed the drums over the brake assembly. I smeared some anti seize on the face of the axle and around the lug bolts. I also turned the brake adjuster until it just started to slow the drum when turned by hand.

Done! (25 Aug 2011)

This side is complete...I will complete the brakes on the driver's side and the chassis will finally roll on its own!