The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1950 Chevy PU Transmission Removal

Hello, i need to pull the 4-speed transmission on my truck. The manual says to remove the 4 cap screws holding the universal ball collar to the transmission rear face and remove bolts which retain transmission support to frame cross-member. Which are the 4 cap screws holding the universal ball collar? There are four going into the transmission and there are 4 holding a ball-shaped joint together.

You'll need to remove the bolts at the rear, not the ones going into the transmission itself. HOWEVER- - - - -pay attention closely! If the vehicle is raised off the floor and supported on jack stands, be sure the stands are supporting the frame, NOT the rear axle tubes. A torque tube will have a considerable amount of downforce caused by weight transfer from the springs if the springs are still supporting the weight of the vehicle as they would be if the jack stands are under the axle tubes. The rear end needs to be hanging free with no load on the springs.

Once you remove the collar the next order of business is to slide the ball back on the tube. There's a knurled nut which will need to be loosened or removed, and the tube just behind the sliding ball assembly needs to be shiny clean. Use a strip of emery cloth and "shoeshine" all the dirt and rust off so the ball can slide back without damaging the seals inside it. You'll probably end up replacing those seal rings anyway, but there's no sense making the job of sliding the ball back any harder then necessary. A little lightweight oil on the tube helps. Now would be a good time to support the torque tube a foot or so behind the ball with a small jack to avoid any surprises as you slide the ball away from the transmission.

Next- - - - -you'll see a universal joint that must be unbolted once the ball is moved back. There are small sheet metal locking tabs on four bolts that need to be carefully pried back before trying to unbolt the U-joint caps. Once that's done, the joint can be slid back on the driveshaft and the torque tube can be jacked up against the bottom of the cab and tied into place to provide enough working room to start removing the transmission. The transmission is HEAVY and AWKWARD- - - - - -use a jack to support it, or maybe a come-along attached to a 4 X 4 piece of wood bridging the gap between the doors. Have fun and be safe!
Jerry

Thank you very much Jerry. Took a while just getting the truck up by the frame alone. I'm ordering an Okey bushing, Okey bushing removal tool, and universal joint rebuild kit.

if the universal joint looks good and moves smoothly, does it need to be replaced?

You should check to see if your 1950 truck's torque tube bushings are dowel pinned or press fit.
1937 - to Early 1950 torque tube bushings were dowel pinned.
Late 1950-1954 torque tube bushings were press-fit.
If your bushings are dowel pinned you may not need a bushing puller.
Just drill out the front bushings dowel pin and fabricate a hook and pull out the bushing.
Check out this GM repair film strip, slides 22, 28 & 29

Check out this POST and the pictures.
And this POST and the pictures.

If your bushings are press fit you will need the bushing puller.
When using the Okie bushing you leave the rear propeller shaft bushing
and oil seal in the torque tube, you just remove the front torque tube bushing.

Why are you removing the 4 speed transmission?

xfiles

Thank you xfiles. Trans is coming out because i have only 15 - 30 psi in cylinders 1, 5, and 6. Unfortunately my brand new pickup isn't going to get a test drive for quite a while. I need to overhaul the engine. I'm a newbie to old truck ownership and this level of work. I've never pulled a valve cover off before so I'm in for a LOT of reading.

what an amazing reference at Flickr.com. I need that for the engine overhaul and i clearly need to learn to search Stovebolt posts better.

Again, thank you very much.

Mike,
When I drop my gearbox, I will come into the cab with a cherry picker from the passenger side. Attach the cherry picker to the top of the gearbox via a chain, etc. Crank up a little, slide rearward and then lower the gearbox onto the floor and slide out from under the truck. Install is just the reverse. Slide under, hook up and raise into position.

Craig

Nice, Craig

I have a 51 with a 4 speed. I have to remove the trans as well. Can anyone tell me how to remove the shift lever before I drop the trans, or do I just remove the whole top cover?

Use a pair of channel lock pliers to get a grip on the small raised lip of the cover where the shifter pivots, push down firmly against the spring tension, and rotate the cover a little to the left. The shifter can be removed by pulling straight up. It's best to have the transmission in neutral when removing/installing the shifter.
Jerry

Here is a Cross section of the 4 speed transmission.

If you plan on pulling the engine & transmission together, the universal joint ball housing will slide right off the end of the torque tube.
No need to unbolt the universal joint ball housing from the transmission.
Make sure to secure the torque tube, to prevent it from dropping down.
The axle swivels on spring seats that have bushings.

Not sure, but in order to pull the engine & transmission together you may have to remove the hood & radiator support.
That is after you removed the 4 speed transmission's shifter lever.

Allenpohaki,
Do you have a torque tube?

Here is the dimension 5/16" of the dowel pin used to hold the torque tube bushings.
You can buy the dowel pins HERE
A 5/16" drill bit is needed to drill out the old dowel pin.

Allen,
Per Jerry's instructions, have you been able to remove the stick shift handle? While in neutral, I am able to press down on the shifter retainer cup with my thumb and index finger and turn the cup to the left. Whola! Install is just the reverse. Just went out to my truck and tried it.

Craig

I had no idea how to remove it, only figured there must be some way to do it. Will try that next time working on the truck.

Here's a couple pics I finally found in my archives using a cherry picker when removing/installing my SM420