Rear end tag deciphering

rcmaniac791

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Ok, so I recently serviced the rear end in the 5th (7 1/4 w/ 2.26 gear) and while I'm unimpressed with the gear ratio, I noticed 2 tags on the rear end. I expected one of them there for the gear ratio, but I wasn't expecting 2. I'll post the pics below. Looks like one of them says 2.2 (probably for the gear ratio) and the other looks to say 0274. Not sure what that's for.

I should also mention that the gears looks factory fresh in this thing which I'm happy about

IMG_1954.JPG
IMG_1955.JPG
 
Yes, the 2.2 is for 2.26 gears. The other tag,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,possibly a date code? They're usually 4 digits anyways.
 
0274 date code.27th day of 1984.a 3 digit date code,the 1st 2 digits would be the week of manufacture.
 
That makes sense. The DOM for the car is February of 1984, so that fits perfectly.
 
Glad to see you are changing the fluid in your diff! It is often overlooked.
It only holds 2.2 pint (1.1 US Quart) of fluid so any leaks can wipe out the bearings in no time.
BudW
 
Glad to see you are changing the fluid in your diff! It is often overlooked.


The fluid was changed when I first got the car in 2013, but that was almost 30,000 miles ago, and I wanted to inspect the rear since the 7 1/4 is not known to be the strongest axle. I do like to keep things well-maintained! The shop that did the work originally lathered on the RTV for the diff cover. I used a gasket so it took longer getting all the RTV off than it did anything else!
 
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