The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Ring Gear thrust pad adjustment

I know that when I was restoring the '53 3/4 ton, I loosened the ring gear thruat pad and turned it a number of times thinking it might be a drain plug of some sort. (Yeh, I know, I shouldn't have done that). I have been reading some troubleshooting information and one of the things mentioned for the noise I'm experiencing while coasting can be the backlash out of whack. If the thrust pad adjustment is screwed up, which it probably is, could this cause what I'm experiencing with the noise when coasting? I don't know anything about rear ends and don't know of the thrust pad has anything to do with backlash. At any rate, how do you adjust the thrust pad with the rear end still in the truck? The only thing I see in the shop manual is with the whole thing open and on the bench. Also, I have the rear end cover plate gasket on order from NAPA, but they don't have the gaskets for the 8-hole axle flange. I'm assuming gasket paper will work and I can make my own, but do these go in dry or with permatex?

That isn’t terribly critical Rick unless your hauling some really heavy loads and are stressing the rear end a whole bunch.
That pad should have just a few thousands clearance and if the ring gear distorts slightly while under a load the pad offers support. You can take it out and look at it if you want to without hurting anything; you have to adjust it anyway. It should have a brass thrust pad on the end of the screws on the inside.
Turn the screw in till it contacts the ring gear then back it off according to the book speck. I believe it was 1/12 turn or 1/2 flat of the hex nut which gives you about .005” to .007”and just make sure that the screw doesn't turn when you lock the nut. Again this isn't going to cause your rear end to fall out or anything if it's not dead nuts, but it should be close if you’re doing any serious hauling.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Those gaskets are readily availble. They are the same way up into the 90,s. You can use RTV or peck one out of paper.

I would try to get the proper gaskets. They are made out of metal, aluminum I think. There is a reason for the fact that they are not made out of paper.

Missed that about the axle gasket Rick, the boys are correct, they are metal and they are the same all the way up for the 3/4 ton full folating rear ends for many years. I just brought the old ones into the local Lee auto parts store here and he went right back and pulled them off the shelf, didn't even ask what year they were for.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL