Awhile back someone asked me how I adapted my Richmond 5 speed to a torque tube rear end....At the time I only had a couple pics and they weren't very good quality. I am in the process of changing the car over to run at Bonneville so it is apart far enough to see the U-joint and cross member in detail. This setup requires no modification to the transmission and no machine work other than drilling holes. It is all fabrication and welding. I did one like this in a street roadster with a T5. Pretty much the same basic layout.
Hey Pete . . . that is a REALLY cool way to do this - fantastic example of thinking outside the box and making it simple. You should do a complete 'Tech Week' article of this - I bet it would be a contender to win. Good Stuff! B&S
I'd been thinking about this for a project...this seems like a very obvious solution! Two questions... Does the front of the torque tube seal using stock stuff or did you have to find something else? How does the yoke attach to the driveshaft? Is that what was welded? Thanks!!!
What U-joint did you use on the torque-tube side? How did you adapt the slip yoke to the driveshaft? Is there another U-joint inside the bell of the torque-tube? If not, do you have any binding with the different arcs of the torque tube and drive shaft since it pivots a couple inches further forward? Nice thinking outside the box. I've seen you mention this before, but not seen good detail pics like this. Thanks!
I remember thinking this is a good idea last time I saw the pics. Wait a minute - you mention center section - is this some sort of quick change with independent rear? I can see calipers right up against the diff casing. That's where the sealed bearing is, right? Any pics of the rear end? Mart.
Standard 3 inch sprint car rear end. Hemi brand. All same like Halibrand,Frankland,Conze, Casale etc etc.
Thanks for the pics, this car is competition only. right? I suppose, as usual, all questions re conflicting arcs are nullified by the very limited movement. Thanks for sharing, it's a very interesting setup. Mart.
I really like this idea. What a simple way to adapt different transmissions to closed drive rear ends. But, like others are thinking.... it looks like as the rear end traveled up or down, the front (and I assume only) u-joint and the transmission would be forced up or down.
How much was the torque tube shortened to allow for this? I know this thread is a year old, but starting a project that needs this sort of adaptation. Thanks.
Thinking I need to reword my comment. As the rear end travels upward the front of the driveshaft would be traveling downward. The spherical end of the torque tube (where the TT pivots) is acting like a fulcrum. Because it is slightly behind the centerline of the u-joints. For this design to work ideally (I'm not saying it doesn't work) the centerline of the spherical end of the torque tube needs to pivot around and be centered around the u-joint. That's how it is on the stock Ford setup. Anybody seein' what I'm smellin'?
I understand what you are saying Gary? Big bumps would make the back of the trans go up and down. Right? But good for Bonneville flats. Pete how did the street roadster do with this setup?
Would the "limited" range of motion, since our cars are low and stiff, make this a real possiblity on the street?
Ok, I see what you are asking now. The u-joint is floating on both ends so it can't push anything. There is 1 inch discrepency in the centerline of the driveline pivot and the u-joint centerline when you use a stock clamshell...This does not bother anything on a car with limited rear end travel like a buggy sprung race car or street machine. It would be relatively easy to fabricate a new slightly larger clamshell so you could move the u-joint back and inch. I would recommend this if you have over 3 inches of rear end travel.
Is it possible the drive shaft is smaller in size and is actually not touching the inside of the torque tube? In that cae, there would be no bindng, assuming there is sufficient room for the drive shaft to move relative to the universal joint. The drive shaft tube would be working on a different arc, but if the only reason for the torque tube is actually as a torque arm, no binding would appear to exist. IMHO for what its worth. I like the idea and I think it can be made to work very well. How did you adapr the drive shaft to the pinion shaft/rear end? Jack
There is a bronze bushing in the front of the torque tube just behind the front spline. The lower shaft of the quick change has a Ford male 10 spline on it. The driveshaft has a female 10 spline and a pin.The 10 inch long driveshaft is a piece of 2 inch tubing.
Thanks guys!! This is making sense to me. I'm getting into a t5 swap in a '46 sedan. This type of setup would be great. Looks like it would be relatively easy to fab something into the X member to support the pivot. All I'd have to do to the rearend would be be shorten the driveshaft and tt. It's not dropped to the ground, probably 4 or so inches of travel. A smallish u-joint would be slick to keep it in the Ford tt pivot or as close as possible. This stuff makes me smile a mile.
Another thing to contemplate is lubrication of the u joint (assuming it's an early Ford u joint). I'm just taking the first steps to putting a T5 in my AV8.
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