8 3/4" Axle Shaft Seal Repair

Chained_360 said
Hi everyone, I'm currently very frustrated because in my quest to replace the axle bearings on my original A body 8 3/4" axle, I nicked the axle seal surface with the cutoff wheel while removing the lock ring. I can't seem to find a speedi sleeve for the axle seal, only ones for the pinion seal. The shaft diameter is 1.5485", and I really don't want to spend $300 on a new set of axles after already spending $85 on new bearings that won't even get used. I think the damage is too deep to polish down, so the only other thing I can think of is to put a little JB weld on there and then polish it down. The only thing about doing that is I imagine it will eventually separate from the axle shaft and cause problems with the seal and bearing. If you were a broke college student in this situation, what would you do?

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You could have it welded then turn down to the correct diameter, but that will get expensive. Using a good - tough epoxy filler can be a long lasting low cost fix. Remember the seal is a polymer-rubber material riding on a smooth steel surface. As long as the filler is harder than the seal it will last a while. Maybe not as long as the steel, but a long time. I would gently smooth the edges of the nick so they are not sharp, then fill the nick and finish the repair so the transition across it is seamless.