by Clara Williams
You know those boots on your swing axle tranny? How it has that row of little nuts and bolts holding the split closed? Well, your swing axle tranny didn't come like that- it came with a boot with no split. This is sometimes seen on very crusty VWs, and as seen on a swing axle bug tranny someone gave me (condition unknown, presumed core status)
I liked the idea of putting non split tranny boots on the tranny for my westy. I obtained a pair of said boots, which seem sturdy. They would not pry over the end of the axle tube (axles are off) that goes into the center section, as the flange was too big (even when using hot water to soften and stretch the boots). After a bit, I accepted what the book said about having the reduction gear housing removed to put the boots on, though still concerned about the rubber bumper mount on the tube, and the brake hose/line clip flange, over which the tranny boots would have to be stretched.
I believe the boots were originally put on before all the bits on the tube were welded on. Then the tube was painted (notice paint line does not extend center section wise from where the small end of the boot is).
I cannot press the bits off, So I called places. A lot of places. The results are funny:
So, it turned out when I went to Pei at
Wolfsberg Motorworks, and said how I had tried to get it over the
flange. He clamped that bad boy axle tube in a vice, heated up the
boot with an industrial hair dryer type thing, sprayed some lube
and wrestled that boot in place over the axle flange. It involved
serious pushing and stetching, with his body at a 45 degree angle
pushing hard, but both of them went on without damage, and without
pressing the reduction gear housing off. He changed me less that
the quoted price, too. Guess I could have done it if I just used
more strength, but I was happy with the outcome.