Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hey guys,

Soon I'll be rebuilding the rear end of my 53 clipper and I'd like to make my own gaskets for the backing plates and outer seal carriers.

My question is, what material and thickness should I use for these particular gaskets?

Thank you,

-Chris

Bump? Anyone?

I clean off the old gasket and use a small thinly spread dab of silicone gasket maker with no gaskets. Saves a lot of time and those joints are not under pressure. Otherwise any thin paper will do. You don't want anything squishy like cork as there is a lot of compressive force applied.

Thank you Ross - good info for all of us.

My local NAPA has a great assortment of gasket paper and a recent purchase has paid many dividends, it is a cheapo gasket punch set for punching holes in paper-any size you want. Be very careful with RTV- many horror stories out there. More is not better!

Don't use any run-of-the-mill RTV when gear oil is involved. Sooner or later, those will fail and begin to leak.

Several years ago, I used Permatex Ultra Grey on a Saginaw cast-iron 4-speed (a thin coat over paper gaskets) with good, long-lasting results, but they now have an RTV specifically formulated for use with gear oil - #81182.

Thanks for the replies fellas.

The only things that concerns me about a RTV style gasket on the rear end is the shimming of the axle setup. I know you're supposed to have a certain amount of runoff for the axles using the shims. If the rtv is thinner or thicker than the factory paper gaskets won't that mess with things?

Thank you,

-Chris

There are no gaskets used between the backing plate, the shims, and the axle housing. Consequently what is used to seal the grease seals to the other side of the backing plate does not affect your end play. There is also no gear oil present at that point, because of the inner seal behind the wheel bearing. The wheel bearing is grease packed and should never see gear lube from the diff. The outer seals are only to keep any errant grease that might ooze out of the bearings from getting on the brakes. It is to be captured by the outer sheet metal shell and unceremoniously allowed to drip out of the drain hole that is drilled in axle flange.

We all try to do everything, but sometimes it's best to get help/farm out. Repair by internet is tempting failure.

Thank you all for the help.

Ross, that is exactly the answer I was looking for. I couldn't remember how it all went back together but you're right. The areas that need to be sealed are inside of the drum assembly. I'll just end up using a little bit of grey RTV for those areas.

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate all the help.

-Chris