Diff bushing replacement, what's the secret?

[VictorH]

Feels like it's been a long haul. Car is driveable, if open headers were legal, so I'm staying in the garage for now. I'm going to weld my cats to my connecting pipes so there aren't so many clamp-type joints in that section.
Turns out the other item that' was most challenging, in terms of this whole job, was putting on the cat-back exhaust system by yourself. It's not easy and it's a heavy beast to boot.

Anyway, hope to be back on the road, driving in the next day or two. I have aftermarket toe arms coming but USPS shows them arriving by 9P today (mail already delivered) and the last location is Cincinnati, OH, and I'm in SC, probably get them next week Tuesday is my guess.

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[wingnutt]

Turns out the other item that' was most challenging, in terms of this whole job, was putting on the cat-back exhaust system by yourself. It's not easy and it's a heavy beast to boot.

lol, just wait until you drop a 7.3 diesel 4R100 trans (by yourself) with the Np273 transfer case still attached, and reinstall (again by yourself) in your future mother-in-laws driveway…oh wait wrong forum, but yes, she has been my mother-in-law for 27 years now

 

[VictorH]

Now, that sounds painful. Hopefully, no injuries, but there's been plenty of time to heal!

 

[wingnutt]

Now, that sounds painful. Hopefully, no injuries, but there's been plenty of time to heal!

lol, not yet…the mother-in-law is still alive and kicking

 

[VictorH]

Road Report
Back on the road and running. Only did 15 miles, all secondary roads, some bumpy, some smooth.
First what the car is NOT. It's NOT more planted, more connected, more nimble, more responsive or anything that feels "better" with normal road use.
This is exactly what I wanted, no real discernible change, it's just like it was before. Remember I didn't want any big downsides which for regular road use is the biggest risk.

Okay, the differential bushings. Completely quiet below 50 mph. Between 53 mph and 60 mph (didn't go above 60), there is the slightest diff whine. Very faint, not intrusive. I kind of think that maybe with a few hundred miles of road use it might go away as all rubber bushings seem to be most firm when they are just newly installed. I once put, on another car I had, motorsports engine mounts and I thought on the first drive, "oh oh, I think I might have made a mistake." But, after a few hundred miles it was perfectly tolerable. More firm, a bit more N/V/H but totally manageable.
I think the diff bushings will be the same way. They just need a few miles on them. If they don't change I can live with that too.

Welded cats to connector pipes are good, no leaks and got rid of one big clamp on each side.
All-in-all a fun project, perfect on the roads, we'll see if I can tell a difference on the track.

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