Tapered Axle Shafts & brake parts

[Tom Mandera <tsm1@domain.elided>]

OK, I'm trying to figure out what I have for a rear axle in my racer - so 
I can get some brake parts!

I believe we found a "3" on the build date.. 63 or 73 or 83.. found 
replacement 3.73s with 71 or something on 'em in the diff.  We're 
assuming it's a '63.

I was told it was from an "old Travelall" and that I should've received 
the front "closed knuckle" axle with the rear - I didn't, but the closed 
knuckle is important to know.

It's a Dana 44 w/ 30spline axle shafts.  Tapered.  With the large 
adjusting nut on one end, and the bearing races face the "wrong" way.. 
the race slides towards the flange, thus it comes out of the housing with 
the axle (with help from a slide hammer).

It has 11" drums which I measured at 3" wide from one side of the drum to 
the other.  That might mean only 2.5" of machined surfaces.. or something 
like that.

It's certainly a deeper/wider drum than the drums on the rear of the '72 
SII I just parted out.

I had to swap an e-brake arm from the '72 axles into this T'all drum 
setup.  I need to go buy a new "c-clip" type item that retains it.  I 
also swapped the Scout II's e-brake cable into the racer.

I reassembled the rear end tonight.  I put the "big nut" axle shaft in on 
the passenger side.  I helped it home with a sledge hammer.  I then put 
the driver's side 'shaft in - again, sledge hammer (3lbs) seated the 
bearings.  I did my best to grease the bearings by squeezing grease in to 
the rollers from the "inner" side and then sliding the bearing race a 
little and squeezing grease behind the bearing (between the bearing and 
the flange) and using the masking tape trick.  Not a great job, but 
better than it had.

I put the driver's side in and put the flange studs in and torqued it 
down to 20ft-lbs (a little high, I think).  It seemed to have some slop 
in it still.  I installed the drum and a tire and let it down.  

I then put the studs in and bolted the passenger side big-nut flange 
down.  I did not put the "big nut lock" on yet.  The passenger side has 
ZERO play in the axle shaft.  I haven't jacked up the driver's side to 
see if it's gone away with the axle shaft installed yet or not.

If the driver's side has play, I guess I need to adjust the big adjusting 
nut on the passenger side.  I've been told ~150-ft-lbs of torque.. but I 
have no idea how to get ANY wrench on this big nut - is there a special 
tool that lets me in between the axle flange and the drum hardware?

Anyhow - I'm trying to track down what year the axle really is so I can 
get a better idea of what I need for a hardware kit.  The "nails" 
measured 2 5/16" long.. longer than stock SII rear drum hardware.. I 
tried that for 1/2 hour before I gave up and realized the T'all used 
longer "nails".. piece o' cake after that.

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout
Racer is back on 2 rear wheels again.. now to get the front..