The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Diff leaking after 3.55 R & P swap

Just finished this same job..........think the the rear end housing can get bent by the tight fit of the third memeber.

Wrestling or being heavy handed with the member in and out could damage the mounting surface. The threads on the member mounting studs can also be damaged by this extremely tight fit. I nicked two studs but lucky the threads could still be chased. Chasing the threads after install is also challenging as the space around the bottom mounting studs is limited. I used the split nut trick to chase the threads.

In short the member install is a PIA. The next time I might consider pulling the entire rear end....... spring shackles, bleeding brakes and E brake cables are by far easier work than wresting the 3rd member while under the truck.