The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline U -joint collar

Hi Stovebolters,
I regularly have to tighten the large threaded bolt on the U-joint collar on my torque 1952 1/2 ton Chevy. I have always tightened by hand. Is there a way to tighten more securely so it doesn't loosen?
Chuck 52

Use blue Loctite on the threads

Thanks, Otto.
Will try.
Chuck

Chuck, are you referring to the knurled ring nut at the back of the torque tube pivot ball? That's there to compress a rubberized cork seal sandwiched between the nut and the threaded end of the tube. As the seal compresses, the nut needs to be tightened periodically to prevent leaks, but it needs to be MUCH more than hand tight. Use a big pair of channel lock pliers, and give it a pretty good grunt- - - - -it will stay tight longer, and tightening it up more won't cause any wear or other problems. There shouldn't be any need to use Loctite. It's also possible to use a piece of square O ring material with a diagonal cut at the top of the tube, super-glued together at the joint, which will far outlast the original cork gasket material. You could also tack weld small pieces of 1/4" square key stock to the nut and the pivot ball about 60 degrees apart, drill holes in them, and use twisted aircraft safety wire to keep the nut from backing off.
Jerry

Thank you, Jerry.
Will certainly consider your suggestions for a solution.
Chuck

Sorry if this is a repeat, not sure what happened to my first attempt to post a reply...

I am having the same issue as Chuck 52 with leaking at the collar. It may be too loose, that may be the only issue. Or maybe I need a new gasket (I like the idea of fashioning
one out of O-ring material). However when I fully backed out the collar I found the cork gasket
sandwiched between two metal washers. I'm not sure if that is correct; it doesn't seem to match what Jerry said above.

PM

Yes, the steel/cork/steel sandwich is correct. If the cork seal isn't seriously worn or damaged, all you probably need to do is tighten the gland nut firmly. All the motion between the torque tube and pivot ball does is slides in and out less than an inch as the rear axle moves up and down. There's no rotation at all. Getting the ring nut tight usually stops any leakage. Replacing that seal requires lowering the torque tube after unbolting the universal joint and removing the pivot ball, and there's a danger of the tube slamming down under the vehicle's weight unless the frame, (NOT the rear axle) is supported by jack stands. Fabricating a new seal with square neoprene O ring material can be done by wrapping a piece of the O ring material around the tube, cutting it at a 45 degree angle, and using super glue to join the ends. That material will outlive the original cork material, and the fix doesn't require lowering the torque tube. Send me a private message if you like, and I'll respond with a phone number. It's always easier to describe a fix such as this in a 2-way voice conversation.
Jerry

OK cool, thanks for the advice. I'll tighten it more than I have before and go from there. If I need further help I know where to turn!

PM

Recently I found on Ebay rubber-type seals for the U-Joint ball assembly I think they came from California somewhere and were about $20 plus shipping, the seals are angle cut, one large for the ball collar area and a smaller one for the threaded collar. I've been fighting the leak at the collar forever using the cork seal. I have tightened the collar with big channel locks, and a large pipe wrench. I think the use of those two tools might get the collar slightly out of shape, sort of like egg-shaped. I got another assembly from a used axle and used that threaded collar with the rubber-type seal, still got a leak, bought a chain wrench off Ebay (looks like a bicycle chain), and used that tool as it wraps around the collar applying pressure more evenly, and tightened it as tight as I could. Still got a drop of lubricant, so I sealed both sides of that collar with a Permatex product that is gear oil resistant. I'm now in the test phase to see if the drops will stop, I know the collar is supposed to slip on the torque tube as the suspension moves so I'll be checking that after each drive. In the 1938 shop manual it mentions using a special tool to tighten that collar, and after thinking about that is when I looked into the chain wrench, probably what GM used.
Glen
1938 half ton pickup

Have you tried a little Permatex blue thread locker compound. I did this to my 54 1/2T and it solved the problem. It might a little effort to loosen next time you need to get to the u-joint. A little heat from a propane torch softens it up.