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View Full Version : Any tips for removing a carrier from a Pontiac Safe-t-track?



gto406
05-02-2010, 01:51 PM
Hello all,

I was reviewing procedures (both in my GM shop-manual) and in the Richmond Gear instructions for disassembly of a 10 bolt (mine seems to be a 4-pinion Safe-T-Track) which is a little different from a Chev 10 bolt posi.

The GM procedure uses a special sliding hammer that bolts to the ring gear, while Richmond suggests (after the C-Clip is removed and the pinion shaft re-installed) that you use a box wrench and use the pinion yoke to 'walk the carrier out' of the differential.

My problem is that the Safe-T-Track has no means to remove the pinion shaft (at least in the diff) as it has these funny caps and no bolts that I can find.

I am therefore trying to figure our whether I should 'fab up' a tool which simulates the GM tool which adapts a sliding hammer to pull up the carrier.

Anyone else have any similar experiences? Any advice or thoughts always appreciated.

Cheers,
Brian
'72 GTO.

big gear head
05-02-2010, 03:58 PM
First of all your rear end does not have c clips on the axles, so there is no reason to remove the shaft, even if you could remove it. The differential that you have is made by Borg Warner and is has 4 pinion gears and cones that lock it. There are 8 bolts that hold the 2 halves of the case together. You shouldn't need anything to pull the differential. If it's been in there for a long time then it will probably come out just by pulling on it, after the bearing caps and axles are removed. To remove the axles you need to take out the 4 bolts that hold the axle retainers and brakebacking plates on. Then pull the axles out. This might require some hammering or a slide hammer to get them out.

gto406
05-02-2010, 06:06 PM
Thanks bgh, yep I realized (once the cover was off) that what I had was a non C-clip version with 4 pinions. I guess my main reason for wondering whether the slide-hammer was needed was that the GM service manual (in the safe-t-track section) doesn't talk about removing the carrier. They go straight to tear down of the carrier (assuming it is already out of the diff). This lead me back to the section of the manual (non-type C, major repairs) which had the slide-hammer carrier removal mechanism.

I assumed (I guess wrongly, LOL!) that I wouldn't simply be able to 'pull the carrier out' once I had gotten the axles out, and marked/removed the bearing caps.

I have one set of axles out (the driver side, put up a fight, with seized nuts on the backing-plate/retainers). I don't think this carrier has ever been apart, so my hope is once I get the driver-side axle out, I can just yank the carrier.

From what I have read, I should ONLY need to loosen/remove the nut/yoke/pinion once the carrier is out, is that correct? I don't believe I have to loosen the nut on the pinion/yoke prior to pulling the carrier, right?

Many thanks again!
Brian
'72 GTO

MonzaRacer
05-02-2010, 06:13 PM
no , only reason to loosen the pinion nut is if you intend to replace gears or bearings.

gto406
05-03-2010, 04:19 AM
Thanks for conforming Lee, yes plan is to sandblast re-paint the diff-housing, and go through the entire rear-end and replace all the bearings 8^)

BR/Brian.