Quick Fix!!

November 2009

Off for a ride goes the Pinepac Mustang, taking a wee ride up in the air on the hoist

It was the diff & not the axel!

Bri pulled out the axel & it was in perfect condition, pleased now we didn’t ring to get one of the boys to bring up the spare axel off the bench! & bring it to Noosa

The Mechanic, aka Bri found a pile of metal shavings at the bottom of the axel housing!

A broken Spool was the culprit!

& for people like me with a bit less knowledge on how this works, It effectively locks the diff, so both wheels turn at the same speed all the time
So it seems my Bri tore the spline that turns the axel & if the terminology isn’t quite right for you Rev heads reading this out there, get over it, this is my blog!
Will I ever get my head around all this car stuff?

It seems he tore that sucker right out the middle of the spool!
How on earth? Yes you may very well ask, as I did
“I could have been running to much negative camber on the back axel or just too many hill climbs with sharp corners which in turn put to much strain on the spool”
ARG! I see!!!

“Just pop down the street & buy a new spool now”! says I
Not that easy to find I can tell you
Now the phone calls, internet searches, the head scratching begins, because the diff is an Atlas, out of a 3 ltr GT Capri made in the late 70’s, not an easy task to find

Finally he rings Ken Hooper in NZ, the Group A Mustang expert & ex Pine Pac Racing Mechanic, who built the car in 1985 & rebuilt in 2006 & upon asking where he got the spools from Ken replied, he had made them
I can see the next thing will be the old spool & spare axel will be taking a wee holiday across the pond to NZ, so Ken can make us a new one!!
& yes I was right
that is just where it is heading, all wrapped in bubble wrap

In the interim, as a quick fix, Bri took the spool out of the spare diff & took it to Ozzie diffs to set up. Four hours later & another $50 of diff oil, Bri has the new spool in place
Hopefully this baby holds together, as yet to try!