I have a situation where I need to eliminate ALL the end play in my axles. I'm looking for some thicker C-clips. Standard C-clips measure .150". I need some that are .200" .

GM used to have a service kit that included select fit C-clips but dealers can't find the reference. ( They remember the kit...just can't find the listing anymore ).

Does any one have any Part #'s in either GM or aftermarket that they can suggest. TIA.

 

have you tried aftermarket sources? WAG a set could be made fairly easy with a mill and grinder from a piece of gage steel.

 

i found this odd..

now it could just be wear, but it didnt look it.



i had blown up a 3rdgen rear and i was putting together a LT1 rear that was missing a C clip.
for some reason, the new 3rdgen clips were tighter(thicker) then the almost new 4thgen ones. i just thought it was odd.

 

I actually made some lash caps that fit over the end of the axle ends to take up clearance between cross shaft. One side was a bit thin ( Machining error ) so I made a couple more.

Took diff apart to change lash caps....found a starnge wear pattern on old caps. A symetrical " ripple " effect all around the contact surface. Didn't like this. Only thing I can think of is a that they are not hard enough and are getting pounded when I autocross. Heat treating may be necessary...but I'm time limited.

To be safe, I've decided to ( temporarily ) abandon this idea and serach for thicker C-clips. I'm going to a local rear end shop and have a look through their C-clip selection. Must be something from some make that I can use. I'll post back what I find.

Aftermarket just goes by year and model. Don't post dimensions, so it's PITA.

 

Ok...still on my quest for .200" thick C-clips. No joy so far. Have a couple of options up my sleeves, such as maching down a pair of C-clips to .100" and then Tig welding them together.

Heat treating my home made lash caps may work as well.

However....FYI... I did find some thicker C-clips than factory. Factory is .150" as mentioned. Jeep C-clips are about .175" . Don't know year and model, as I was sorting through a box full of used C-clips at my local Rear End shop....but Jeep C-clips are the same OD and ID as ours, but .025" thicker. Doesn't help me but it may be usefull info to others.

Off to the machine shop now....

Edit: Jeep C-clips are ALMOST the same ID as ours but not quite. Eyeballing it looks the same...but they are too tight to go on the axle. Five minutes with a Dremel Rotary tool solves the problem.

 

Well the home Heat Treatment didn't work....but I've found a better solution. Best of all it's dirt cheap!! Like 50 cents each

External snap rings avaliable at any Automotive jobber. Can't remember the danged size ( lost my Invoice ) but it's a very common size. .045" thick...spring steel, so they will take a ton of load. Install the snap ring in the axle groove so that it is butted against the axle end. The " button " end. Slide the standard C-clip in behind and Ta-Da.... no more slop. I'm down to .005" end play on my axles which is absolutely perfect. Make sure that the snap ring is between the C-clip and the end of axle, as oppossed to the snap ring being between the C-clip and the " splines " . This will lessen the load on it during hard cornering.

BTW, I wailed on one of these snap rings on an Anvil with a Ball Peen hammer to see if they could be deformed by heavy loads. All that happened is that I got all sweaty and breathing hard. Spring steel is darned tough!!!

Stock C-clip is .150" as noted. Jeep C-clips are .175" ( need a slight bit of grinding on inside diameter to fit our axles.

This should help out some people who have problems with excessive end-play in their C-Clip axles.