[ihc] Rear axle

["Mitch and Jena Carl" <mjcarl@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all, I have a '77 scout that started to make a loud clunking noise from
the rear yesterday while driving home.  I pulled the axle shaft off both
sides.  The driver side wheel had alot of play in it and you could pull it
back and forth about an inch.  When I pulled that shaft out, the outer seal
was missing.  Would that cause the excessive play in the wheel?

I then pulled the passenger side shaft out and that had a totally different
wheel bearing.  It was a roller type bearing, while the driver side was
smooth all around and had the bearing on the inside of it.  Which one is
correct, or are they both and one is just a later modification?

And lastly, I pulled the cover off the differential to make sure the
spindles weren't spun out from the shaft being loose.  When I pulled it I
found a couple of teeth had broken off.  One or two were from the spider
gears and one chunk was from the pinion gear.  Should I buy all new gears or
try to find another axle?  Where do you look for a Dana 44 axle?

Thanks,

Mitch