<VV> early powerglide differential musings / findings

[N2VZD at aol.com]

today i tore into a nice looking 64 FC (HD) differential to reseal it  
before putting in my truck soon. i checked all the bearings. the from pinion had 
 etching on the race. i bought all new bearings for it. in process of 
cleaning it  , all the lube slots in the nose , areas where lube should go on 
side races ,  the little holes in the pinion adjusting sleeve , were plugged 
with hardened  grease? lube? nasty stuff. it was hard to remove , even with 
solvents and carb  cleaners . most bearings looked ok , but had a brown cast 
to them. i doubt they  would have lasted long. the front race looked like a 
laser etching..and it felt  smooth and fine when i turned it before opening 
it up.
so if you tear into one , they are getting old and need it all in most  
cases. the oil in this was the old nasty stuff. this is the second one i have  
taken apart the last few weeks. i built a nice new looking 3:27 differential 
for  the "crampy" project. it started out looking just about as bad.
regards, tim colson