BEVEL BOX

The last time I shimmed up a smallblock bevelbox was about seventeen years ago so I may of forgotten something but I can't see how changing the depth of shim would do anything to take the seal awayfrim a bad patch on the sealing surface without buggering the CW&P, unless of course you actually space out the bearing with a suitable shim too. With bevelboxes that are leak prone there are a couple of things to bear in mind.

Firstly, you can take your bevelbox apart and dress the surface on which the seal runs without worrying about re-shimming. As long as the gears are fine and new gaskets are used. And the correct torque is used to re-tighten the bolts taking it apart and re-assembling it is just that. The only time that a box needs re-shimming is if there is end float in the pinion bearings, in which case you only have to remove one of the preload shims between the two pinion bearings. Or if new gears or pinion bearings are being installed.

If it's new pinion bearings, as long as they are an identical bearing from the same maker, (SKF in most cases.) it is usually unneccesary to re shim the pinion and the crownwheel shim cam be ignored. It's onlt when the box is having new CW&P installed that both the CW shim and the P shim will need accurate setting up. This being the case if the seal face needs dressing up, simply take the box to bits and dress the outside with wet n dry 800-1200 should do the trick.

If there have been deep gouges made by something then  removing the crownwheel and sending the centre off to be ground down and, if neccessary, hard chromed would be the way to go.

Ta Ra (Pete Roper)