The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Drive line completed today!

Progress on the big '49! Today, my friend Gary (same Gary that helped me get the firetruck) helped me press in the new U-Joints and I was able to get the drive line reinstalled from the transmission on back to the rear axle.

It's starting to look like a truck again

Man, some of those caps took every bit of 30 tons to go home! Yikes.

Regards,
John

Good to hear your making progress. Hope all the needles are in place 30 tons seems excessive to me. I am thinking you smashed some bearing. Do they move smoothly?

Yeah for the '49. Sure hope your helper didn't let a needle fall down in one of the cups...a good bench vise will easily seat a cap. Did all the joints flex nicely when the job was done?

Stuart

If there were burrs and paint it can take some force. Perhaps the gage is not reeding correctly, because it still sounds like a lot to me. If you were to drop a needle and then force things to go together enough to get the clips in you should see a dent or crack in the end of a cup from the needle trying to get out. I assume you would notice that, and you did not say anything about it, so the u-joints must be fine.

Just when you were feeling good about it here comes a bunch of people to start you worrying. I, too, wonder why it took so much pressure.

Hi John,

Congrats on the progress; can't wait to see some pictures of the work.

I agree with the rest of the crew...30 tons to press on the end caps of a U-joint is very excessive. Heck, I've used much less taking old rusty ones off...

Not sure what everyone else does, but I always clean the shaft holes with a round pipe cleaner (like the plumbers use for copper pipe) and then check for any burrs. If any are found I use a small round file to remove the burrs). Then, after a thorough washing and drying I'll spread a thin film of anti-sieze on the shaft holes prior to installing the U-joints. It acts as a lubricant and also makes for easier removal when replacement is required.

Good luck and drop us some pictures!!!

John here (Too lazy to log out and back in)

EXCELLENT pointers! A dropped needle or two was what I was thinking, too. But the driveline rotates just fine now. So what I figure was that between a burr or two, and my sloppy painting with the POR-15, the couple of caps that gave us "issue" were just that -- recalcitrant rather than just plain frigged up.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm just glad we didn't crack/break any of the fittings.

Oh yeah, on the last one -- just as we were applying a bunch of pressure, it gave a mighty "POP!!!!!!" and seated. We thought for sure we busted it. We took it out of the mount and looked it all over and found nothing wrong so we figured it was a burr that I had overlooked.

All is well!

Thanks!!!
John

John,

Great word....recalcitrant!

Stuart

Nothing beats the satisfaction you get from real progress. I'm starting to feel like Mick Jagger lately "I Can't Get None". I must have the winter blues, I might have to get me a motivational DVD. :rolleyes: Well, maybe not.
Great to hear your moving right along. Have you started the engine yet?

John

John,
No, I have not made the first power up/ground run yet. My big accomplishment for the week so far is the reinstallation of the fuel pump and I put oil in the crankcase.

Yeah, I know, but that's how it goes. I'm pacing myself... I still have the manifolds to reinstall, carb, distributor and starter to go. The starter is still at the shop, I haven't remembered yet where I stashed the distributor and I'm waiting on those little rings that go in the exhaust manifold holes...


John