My '63 544 has been chattering from the back when letting off the gas at high speeds. I recently noticed that it talks a little immediately after releasing the clutch during hard acceleration shifting (it kind of sounds like the little ball hitting the inside of a spray paint can when shaken quickly).

I don't know much about drivetrains but I put the rear end up on stands to see if anything was obviously amiss. The driveshaft connection to the differential was quite solid with no play fore to aft or side to side. When I spun the driveshaft there was a degree or two of rotation before the differential was engaged and the wheels turned. When the driveshaft was spinning and the wheels were turning, there was a light ticking sound which seemed to come from the differential. The ticking was about the same no matter which way I turned the driveshaft.

Does this sound like something that warrants taking the car off the road until repaired? I usually drive the car to the train station every day (five miles each way) at speeds no greater than 50 mph.

Thanks,

Joe

BTW, the exhaust looks and sounds fine.