Instagram - misplaced_garage In this episode of misplaced garage I continue the process of rebuilding and restoring the differential in my 74' Spitfire! Enjoy!
Good deal on the engine lift, I use mine to pick whole cars right up off the ground. I stay the hell out from underneath them, of course, until they're resting on something with the capacity to hold them, but it's actually easier to get either the Midget or Sprite a solid 4 feet in the air than any other method, save a lift which I can't afford and don't have the headroom for anyway. One Sprite I pick up by the roll cage, the other I have a sling for picking up refrigerators connected to two 2x8s under the chassis. Then when it's way up in the air, I put a pair of metal sawhorses under the car, each one has a capacity of 1300 pounds, and my cars weigh about 1500. The Sprites are just chassis at the moment, they weigh about 800 pounds. I still don't trust the saw horses either, and I leave the jack connected while under the car held up by saw horses, but it makes rebuilding anything under the car or the wheels or suspension much nicer, like having a lift but it only cost me $400. I say "sawhorses", they're steel and cost about a hundred bucks each, they're not cheap Home Depot brand sawhorses.
When you had the diff open that would've been a good time to drill the case for a drain plug. U.S. Spitfire diffs were either 3.89 of 4.11. There's numbers stamped on the bottom at the front, FK prefix would be 4.11. If it's not FK, could be 3.89. That dimple in the rear apron supports my theory of a towtruck driver (or someone else) crushing the muffler up into the bottom of the car... Those legs extending the frame back from the crossmember were added for impact regs...early frames ended at the crossmember...
I thought about drilling the case but I don’t think this diff will last very long even with new seals, bearings and oil so I didnt bother. That is very possible a tow truck driver did it. The car has 90k miles or more because of the 5 digit odometer so it’s definitely been on a tow truck at some point.
