Bad 8 3/4" rear end??

[Mike Correll]

I have a 1966 Barracuda with an 8 3/4" rear end. This rear end has been a problem since I've had the car. The axle seals were initially replaced about a year ago. They had been leaking again but I didn't notice. Then one day someone told me that my driver side rear wheel was wobbling when he was driving behind me. After asking around, someone said i may have a bent wheel. I put the car on stands and pulled the wheels and drums and watched it wobble from the axle. I know I don't have a bent wheel because it wouldn't be wobbling from the axle. A few months ago I sent the car to get fixed again. 4 sets of seals and 2 sets of axle shafts later, the axle seals STILL leak and I'm pretty sure the wheel wobbles. Sometimes when i drive i can feel something pulling the car back. It doesn't seem to have full power and won't go over 35 mph. I'm pretty certain this has to do with the axles being hung up? I was thinking of just pulling the whole rear end out of the car and sending it to a machine shop to see if the housing is bent or out of round. I'm tired of spending money on the rear end and i just want to be able to drive it without worrying. In the pictures you can see just how bad they do leak. The passenger side doesn't look bad in the picture, but there is oil seep marks all over the tire. If you have some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[66fs]

What axles and bearings are you using? Something that far off you could see! You don't need to go to a machine shop for that. Disconnect the drive shaft and turn by hand. Did you replace the outer seals or just the inner seals? It is easy to cut the inner seals with the splines. Wrap paper around the splines till you get past the seals and pull the paper out.

 

[Marcohotrod]

maybe U also have a bent wheel. swap the wheels from side to side

 

[AJ/FormS]

Maybe your endplay adjuster came loose, and the axle moved up into the seal,allowing the oil out underneath.The endplay adjuster is supposed to have a little clip installed to prevent the adjuster from coming loose.
The bearings have their own grease supply,independent of the differential oil. The outermost seal is not designed to hold back oil;just grease and keep the brake dust out. There are also two gaskets involved here; one between the backing plate and the banjo, and another between the backing plate and the axle retainer.
With a loose end play adjuster, the brake drum will also move up into the brakeshoes causing a drag, and that answers your powerloss question too.
This does not answer a wobble though, unless the looseness is bad enough that the entire wheel assembly is moving transversely,in and out.I suppose someone might call that a wobble.
I suppose the same scenario could occur if all five retainer nuts on either side have come loose.

 

[Kernel Sanders]

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say perhaps the thrust button fell out when the axles were out or as was mentioned the end play adjuster backed out or was not re-adjusted correctly.

Question: is there any noise to this 'wobble"? braking ok or grabby?