Technical School me on torque tube driveline removal

a few lessons that I learned the hard way, if you do take your torque tube off dont stand it up, theres A LOT of grease in there that will fall out, I did that and it took literally 2 tubes of grease to quieten that torque tube bearing back down..

also 19Fordy mentioned through not forgetting the throw out bearing, dont forget the pilot bearing either. I did that once and rebuilt a fresh rebuilt trans a month later...

 

when its going back together, i leave the speedo drive off the tube, then you can see how much grease you are pumping in. when its almost full, put the drive on

 

The shifter has been bent. It fits ok, but the tower is buried under the dash.

 

Do it like the old time jalopy racers did, weld a hook on the dash to hold it in second gear

 

If you don't have a removable transmission hump, maybe now's the time to build one. I can't imagine working on a car like these without one. It's bad enough on my sedan, which isn't channelled. I've had the front floor out of it a half dozen times for sure since it's been "finished". Way easier to do the engine and trans install/maintenance, as well as brakes and steering, from up above instead of below.

 

I have the seats out, I'll pull the carpet and have a look.

 

Did you try pulling the shift lever out of the tower yet. There is a stamped steel cup that is threaded (circled in diagram). Remove that cup and lift the shift lever straight up. watch for small roll pin it may or may not try to fall out. Place rag in hole. Try to leave transmission in neutral it can help with rolling the rear axle back.

 

Disconnect speedometer cable from Torque tube. Unbolt rear spring clamp from the frame. Jack car up in air by frame leaving rear axle on ground. Unbolt the 4 bolts on the clam shell on the back of the transmission (see diagram. 2 above and 2 below). roll everything back. Watch for brake lines fluid and mechanical.

 

Thanks guys, this helps. Luckily, I pulled the carpet and the builders had enough foresight to make the floor/trans hump and driveshaft tunnel are removable!

 

Roothawg Im glad you started this thread. I didn't know that solid clamshell gasket that Nailhead Jason posted existed. Im gonna order one too!

 

I think I may order a torque tube baffle from Danny Burroughs to keep the oil from migrating.

 

I kinda doubt that the TT points down hill. If it doesn't, you don't need one.

 

All it takes is a tire change on the front and it all has to come back out. Hoping to prevent multiple removals. Not even sure if anyone is still making them.

 

Here's what the FORD OEM center torque tube bearing looks like. Just a couple of squirts of John Deere Cornhead grease is needed. Rubber will dissolve over time if over greased or if gear oil fills torque tube. Here's more info on TT seal.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193513&showall=1

 

Danny still makes them. Put one in the 37 last year.

 

you can blame that grease on me. I’m pretty sure I put the torque tube straight up after taking it apart when we did the rear in your 38.

 

Talking to him now. Hopefully, he can hook me up.

I checked and the TT is 5* nose down with current tires. If I go with 5.60-15's in the future, That will drop it another 3/4" up front.

 

When you install it be sure to add a rear axle hosing vent like he suggests. This one is homemade.
Also, DO NOT chase the threads on the banjo or the bolts. They were made to a special tolerance by Henry Ford.

 

Any idea on the thread pitch?

 

1/8-27 NPT. Tap drill is .339 in. That's a Letter "R" drill bit. I went one drill size smaller as I was drilling by hand which tends to make a larger hole. Start out with an 1/8 inch drill and work your way up. Practice on a piece of scrap first. Put grease on the tap and tap threads a little at a time, each time checking the fit of your NPT pipe threads and removing greasy chips.. If you tap too deep to the full dia. of the tap you won't get a tight fit and hole will be oversize.

 

I have 5:560x15's on my front and 7:60 x 15 on stock rear.
Plus, 2 1/2 in. dropped axle and reversed eye spring. Very low.

 

Mine sits ok, but they are a big tire to handle on stock 32 steering box. 8.20-15's on the rear.

 

I had a Forty Coupe in High School with an Olds engine bolted to the Ford drive train using an Honest Charlie adapter. It had a '39 transmission set-up. Reading through the comments caused me to have flashbacks, including the smells, and the procedure of jacking it up and unbolting the rear spring hangers, the clam shell, and also having to hunt down a replacement transmission. When the gears let loose repair was not possible. I went through my fair share of them. So many I lost count. Same deal with the Woodruff key in the axle. Of course, later on, when I built my '37 Coupe I wised up. But that's a different story for another day. Keep at it. It's part of the fun and misery of the engineering and metallurgy of a period when making horsepower was limited by a variety of factors that changed after WWII.

 

I did everything I could to replace seals, gaskets, and used a torque tube seal made by Danny "Hot Rod Pro". It still leaked a the clam shell. But then again I'm a hack.

My theory was that the transmission was leaking because I didn't do anything to it but install. if there is a seal from the trans at the back, replace that.

 

There isn't a seal in the transmission's rear bearing, but you can change it to one that does have a seal on the backside. Maybe the VanPelt book talks about that? I've seen it somewhere. You would have to make sure you lubed your U-joint up fully before assembly with plenty of cornhead grease, cause no trans lube would find it's way through the seal. But you could always leave the new-fangled seal out of the back end of the torquetube to make sure plenty of rearend lube reached the U-joint. Five gallons of lube in the rearend and torquetube.

 

So how much grease are we talking? I have heard a couple of squirts to pack it full.
I found this on the Ford barn.

From page 25 of the 1932-37 Service Bulletins. "The universal joint housing
should be FILLED with a universal joint lubricant composed of cylinder oil, thickened
with sodium tallow soap."

The service bulletin for December 1934 Ford V8 1935 Specifications states, Universal Joints Lubricated with 4oz. of cyl. oil soda soap grease. p248

 

I like your creativity with the Canadian penny in the home-made vent; that's cool. Being so close to the USA/Canadian border, we get Canadian coins all the time. The stores won't TAKE them from you, but they sure do GIVE them to you to get rid of them. I have a few OLD Canadian pennies I've saved over the years; probably not worth anything more than a penny, but I think they're kinda neat. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Wow! Lots of unintentional misinformation posted above.
Zip over to Fordbarn and do a search for some good. info.

 

I am searching that forum as well.

 

What of my info was misinfo?

I was joking about filling the downward sloped torquetube with 140wt. That would be silly.

As for keeping the U-joint greased after assembly, doing a little study of the parts will show you the zerk on the outside of the clamshell is a long and convoluted route from the joint. Don't count on that lube making it to the joint.