The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1950 rear end assembly puzzler

I could use some help in locating a solution for a 1950 Chevy 3100 1/2 ton pickup. I had to pull the differential apart to replace a leaking seal at the front of the torque tube that letting the transmission lube to drain into the differential. The differential is original and has never been disassembled. Between the front and rear bearing on the pinion is a ring that goes against the front bearing that is uses to run the locking screws on the diff and the other is a oil slinger that goes against the rear bearing, closest to the pinion gear. Between the locking ring and the oil slinger is a partially disintegrated fiber sleeve that must have kept the ring and slinger in place while assembly. Can anyone help me coming up with something that will work as a replacement.

The service manual doesn't show a fiber ring between between the rear bearing and the ring that the lock screws bear against. If the ring for the lock screws floats on the shaft, maybe you can push it back thru the lock screw holes to line it up when replacing the pinion in the differential housing. I have not had a differential apart, so this is just info from looking at the service manual. No idea why there was a fiber spacer in yours.

You got it mostly apart ,may want to upgrade to the 355 gears .here is a picture from Deves site

Thanks for your thoughts and I have read numerous ways on reinstalling the pinion and still puzzled. Others have mentioned super glueing the oil slinger to the rear single roller bearing and standing the torque tube vertical and letting gravity help to locate the locking ring on the front bearing while you slide the propeller shaft into the carrier. I hope to find a better solution.

I currently have not removed the differential housing and torque tube from the rear end and hope to avoid this. The torque tube design had been used by Chevrolet from the 1930's to 1950's and I cannot imagine every time the propeller shaft was removed it required such a process to reinstall.

When I pulled my propeller shaft and found the spacer that held the oil slinger and locking ring in place during assembly I thought this was a good solution.

I have taken a closer look at the spacer and it looks to be a hillbilly trick to get this keep everything in place during installation. I believe that someone cut a piece of heater hose and slid this in place to hold everything. it appears to be 1 3/8" long and 2" inside diameter. The giveaway was a couple pieces of string reinforcement inbedded in the hose and the outside of the hose has a pattern

What do you know? These backyard mechanic used any thing they could find to make it work. Maybe I will do the same thing and give it a try? I will need to cut the 2" hose and glue it back together as it will not fit over the bearings.

Thanks for your idea. I considered changing gears but decided it would be too much work at this time and if I find it necessary to drive on the interstate I can always change later. I live in a small town in North Georgia and I plan on just driving on local country roads. Just having fun working on a old truck! Safe motoring!

That piece of hose for a spacer is really a pretty genius idea. But it says that someone had the differential apart sometime in the past.

I'm wondering how you pulled the driveshaft without pulling the differential apart, as the pinion needs to come out the back. Personally, I would have pulled the torque tube/differential assembly and thrown it on the bench to avoid having to work under the truck to reinstall the pinion and differential. I pulled mine out to restore the gasket, basically fixing leaks, and it wasn't hard at all. Granted, I was just working on a bare chassis, but still.
You may have a hard time getting the driveshaft stabbed back into the bushing at the front of the torque tube with it under the truck, and may wind up pulling the differential housing and torque tube anyway instead of fighting with it underneath the truck.

Good luck.

Nothing like "necessity is the mother of invention"! Those old mechanic worked with whatever they had. You have to love it!

I know a good portion of the history of this truck and I am the 3rd owner. The Georgia Agricultural Department purchased it new in 1950 and it was sold to a local guy in 1952. He had the truck until 2014 when I purchased it from the owners grandson. The truck sat outside in a field for 30+ years not being driven, before I purchased it. The truck has 48,000 miles on the odometer and appears to be correct.

I have the truck torn down and only the cab is resting on the frame. It has been easy working on the differential with everything removed. If I have issues getting the propeller shaft into the torque tube, I will remove torque tube/differential.

I need to install a oakie bushing because the transmission drained into the differential. I used every tool available and could not get the front bushing out of the torque tube. This 1950, late build, does not have dowel pins locking the bushings and seals in the front of the torque tube and were pressed into place and impossible to remove with the shaft in place. I will see If I get lucky pulling or driving the front bushing out, now that the pinion has been removed.

I will keep you posted on my developments and we will prevail, one way or the other. Thanks for your help and suggestions!

This may help you with the bushing replacement. Link
Also, the Filling Station has the bushing puller Puller, but you'd need the driveshaft in place to use it. A slide hammer puller should get the front bushing out (maybe with the application of some heat on the outside of the tube), then you can install an "okie bushing" that's a combo front and rear bushing and seal. Okie Bushing The okie bushing installs with the front bushing removed, but the rear one in place.

Your truck seems to have had a hard life, but looks to be complete. Stop by the Paint and Body shop Forum when you get to that point (or are you going to leave the original patina and rough edges?) Either way, Nice truck.

I know 100% for certain, (I ain't speculating on this), if you have the ring gear/pinion out, which means the drive shaft would have come out with this.......a piece of 1-1/4" black iron pipe and 6lb. sledgehammer WILL get the rear and front bushings out.

I had to replace my Okie bushing after the fact (cause the seal was pinched on the Okie), and I decided to go back with original front and rear seals. Found them NOS on flea-bay.

So really all I had to do was drive out the original rear seal and the Okie. They got persuaded to come out.

I will add this though....I did pull the entire rear end out from under the truck, put it on jackstands, and did the work from there. I didn't want to think of attempting this with the rear end still under the truck.

Mine is a 51, should be the same as what you have.

Check out the tech tips for the 355 gear swap .it shows the install after the gears are swapped it may help.

Kevin, Thanks for your great information and unfortunately I have the same pullers that I bought from 2 different vendors and neither one could grip the bushing and pull it out of the torque tube.

If I was fortunate to have a early 1950 or earlier model with a dowel locking the bushing that I could have drilled out it probably would have worked great.

My plans is the use a puller to remove the bushing or take a 6 foot pipe and drive it out from the pinion side. When I get it out I will install an oakie bushing and reassemble.

On the body, all the metal work has been completed and the patina will be left. The undercarriage, interior and mechanics have been restored or in the process and the torque tube issue has been holding up the reassembly process.

I will keep you posted on my progress! Have a great evening!

This might help (if you have not already seen this) ?

Mike,Thanks for the info!
I would like to consider the option to just replace the existing bushing and seal. I already have the oakie bushing but if I could round up the original items I might go that way.

What did you use to drive the seal into the torque tube? I appreciate your help!

Nice my okie bushing and puller are waiting my 54 has a 51 tube in it so I may have to take mine apart like you are if the pullers don’t work that well . You might want to unbolt the opposite side of the cover to replace the gasket and then you can work on it at a little higher .

if I remember right, there is a very small lip down in the tube, that the original design rear seal will hit when driving it in. Prevents the seal from going too far. Screwed a coupling onto a short piece of 1-1/4" black pipe to drive in the real seal...the coupling prevents digging into the seal like the sharp end of the pipe might. Front seal I tapped in with a block of wood.

BEFORE anything was removed, as in the ring gear/pinion, I used a mag base with a dial indicator, to check the existing pinion depth and backlash. Cause if you don't install it back with these same specs, your assembly is gonna whine.....and you won't know it until everything is back together and back under the truck. if you're not sure on how to do this, find you somebody that IS familiar with it....save you some grief. It's not hard to do, but is has to be correct. You have a 70+ year wear pattern on your ring gear and pinion....it needs to be put back exactly where it was.

I wasn't (and I'm still not) a fan of the Okie bushing, although thousands have worked for thousands of folks, so to each his own. I installed one during my restoration, had some issues with it, but that's another story. The original design worked for a very long time, and still works. Glad I went back with it.

Mike, Thanks for the sharing your procedure and I am considering removing the tube/differential housing. I already have the gasket and it should make working on it easier and a more relaxing. When I get the bushings and seal removed I will decide which way I will proceed. Oakie or go back to original. I looked around online for the correct tool that is used to install the seal and have not had any luck locating.
I will keep you posted on my success.