Trying to remove the u joint on my 54 gmc truck with a torque tube . I got the bell off and slid all the way back ,took the u joint bolts out and clips got the ends off and now I am stuck.The u joint won’t clear the bell to move out of the way .Anyone done this and is there a trick.
How are you supporting the truck to work under it? If you have jack stands under the axle tubes, the rear end will be forced forward by the weight on the springs. Use stands under the frame and let the rear end hang free. Also, be careful about unbolting anything with the weight of the vehicle on the springs- - - -the torque tube can slam down and injure you if you do manage to get the U joint disconnected. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Once you get the spring load off the torque tube, you might need to use a come-along to pull the rear end housing back far enough to disengage the driveshaft from the U joint spline. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The torque tube U joint on the SM-420 is a little bit tricky. The front section on some of them is bolted to the output shaft of the transmission and the bolt can't be accessed until the spline is disconnected and the back half of the joint is swiveled out of the way. I believe the front section also has the speedometer drive gear attached to it. Servicing the U joint on a 3 speed is a lot simpler! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
No luck took the shocks off put a ratchet on the axle to the trailer hitch at the back and not much is moving .looks like maybe loosen the axle from the springs to get the works to move back unless there are more tricks in the stovebolt chest .
One more suggestion- - - -the fit of the pivot ball to the socket in the bearing retainer is adjusted by a stack of thin gaskets between the ball cover and the transmission. While it's disassembled, sand any score marks smooth and fit the pivot ball to the transmission with the appropriate gasket pack. The ball should pivot up and down with a firm push. If it's too loose, you'll have a leak. Too tight, and the ball will get scored and/or be noisy. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I would have to go along with Hotrod Lincoln's advice about taking the pressure off of the torque tube when disconnecting it. When I was a lot younger, I had one come down just missing me. Needless to say it got my attention and I have always put a safety chain on them after that. It sure got my attention and the chain is great for peace of mind. Just for what it is worth. Jim
I would have to go along with Hotrod Lincoln's advice about taking the pressure off of the torque tube when disconnecting it. When I was a lot younger, I had one come down just missing me. Needless to say it got my attention and I have always put a safety chain on them after that. It sure got my attention and the chain is great for peace of mind. Just for what it is worth. Jim
I have a scar over my left eye from getting nailed by a torque tube while changing the transmission on a '54 Chevy Station Wagon. That was when I was young and didn't know any better and was in the middle of an all-night job on the tranny.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
On to the next step going to check locally for some new u bolts ,I have new rear mounts to put in before I take the transmission out ,I think it would be easier to jack up the transmission a bit to replace the mounts.I have a oakie bushing to put in ,I used the puller and only got the inner piece of the old bushing out going to try it again and hopefully the rest will come out .
Got the u joints no problem today was surprised a shop that has been around for a long time actually has several lengths of stock as well as diameters and they bend them on site for you .Looks like I won’t be using them for a while as the torque tube bushing puller only pulled out the inner brass and looks like it won’t pull the rest out ,it just slips very easily the puller is useless unless I can somehow modify it to grip the bushing better.I don’t really want to pull the rear axle apart to remove the bushing .
Some torque tube bushings are riveted in- - - -be sure you're not dealing with that type. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
No rivets ,just need to make the puller spread out and grip better .seems to slip off easy now that the inner brass sleeve is pulled out .the tool should have a two sizes of the inner sliding ring to have more of a adjustment to push the teeth out to grip the bushing.
Okay I got it out .the puller did a fine job of pulling out the brass insert and after that it would slip on pulling the rest .I found a piece of pipe a little bigger than the inside of the puller and made a slightly bigger one to spread the teeth after a few tries it came out. Know does anyone know if the front bushing I pulled out has a ridge in the tube for it to stop against or should the tube be the same diameter all the way to the rear bushing/seal. To me I see a ridge we’re the front bushing has stopped against and I am wondering how the oakie goes past the ridge .thanks Kevin.
