Well, FINALLY I've finished the job!!!! Well, almost. Just gotta reinstall the tranny cover, floormat, etc..
I bolted everything up, poured some lube into the speedo cable hole, topped off lube in the normal fill plug, and waited for all the lube to drip out. No drips. Believe it or not, it was leaking so bad before that even cold, the lube would drip out of the ball housing and also the collar. Leaving the floorboard transmission cover off, I backed her out of my garage listening carefully for strange noises. Good news is that she actually moved when I let out the clutch, and I didn't hear any strange noises...even with that tranny cover off. So, I took her for a very slow, 2-mile ride, one where I had to turn around into a steep driveway (I knew this would deflect the ball quite a bit. Still no noises. I kept the speed down below 30 mph because I wanted to give those very tight bearing surfaces in that u-joint a chance to mate to one another without being stressed too much. Parked her back in the garage and checked for leaks. No leaks.
I cranked her back up and headed out for a 5-mile trip. This time I got her up to max speed (max speed for the old girl when I'm driving is 45) for a couple of miles. Still no noises, and additionally no vibration. That u-joint and torque tube bushing were so worn previously that the fillings in your teeth would vibrate out at about 35 mph! She drove smoother than she has since I've owned her. Parked again, no leaks.
So, after she cools, I am going to check lube level again and top off if needed. Button her up and call it a success.
SUMMARY: A novice decided to replace his ball housing seals because they leaked. While doing so, he replaced his u-joint, removed TWO old torque tube bushings, and installed an okie bushing. I couldn't have done it without the help of the knowledgeable people in this forum. Although I'd read everything I could get my hands on, I still ran into problems (like we all do), and it was nice being able to actually ask questions of people who had been there and done that. So, thanks again.
P.S. I am a semi-pro photographer, so I took lots of photos of the procedure. I might write one of the how-to articles using some of those photos. Not because I am now an expert...just the opposite. There are probably others out there who would like to do this job, but feel they don't have the skills or special tools to do it, and are afraid to try. I might could explain it in simpler terms, with photos, that they might understand.
Last edited by daveboy; 07/03/2019 4:33 PM.
