Yes, i have gear oil dripping from differential housing. The metal is corroded and bubbling so i dont know where the leak is coming from quite yet. I know the fill plug is in rough shape and I'm affraid to pull it to add oil for if it crumbles i wont get it back on. Im wandering if that factory sealed cover is leaking. No way to remove, clean and reset?
The cover is just a piece of sheet steel that is significantly thinner than the rest of the axle housing. It is welded on, so there's no removing it.
You need to figure out exactly where the leak is coming from. Take a twisted wire brush on an angle grinder, or sand paper and clean off the bubbling coating. Find the pinholes you are leaking from and you can seal them with JB weld putty (after draining and cleaning of course). If you are worried about your plugs, then just replace them. They aren't that expensive. The JB weld should buy you at least a year or so, more if you redo it when it finally comes off, assuming of course you repaint the pumpkin after stripping it.
You should also check the torque on the diff carrier nuts. If they loosen up, you will leak gear oil through the carrier seal.
When you pick up new plugs, be sure to also order the metal gaskets that go with them. You will need new ones if you have corrosion. The fill plug gasket may hard to distinguish from the housing, mine was rusted on so bad that I didn't even realize it was there.
Lots of yards will have axle's, but shipping could be difficult to arrange for a reasonable price. You are unlikely to find a non-rusty axle housing around here, I know cause I looked. You are on the cape right? If you do manage to find one, let me know, I may be able to come down and help you do the axle swap if you want.
