Unscrew the round retainer on the back end of the "bell" (the bell is the ball part which goes into the transmission which is held on by the bolts to back of the transmission). Slide the retainer back on the torque tube. When you unscrew the retainer, there will also be a large round thin washer and a seal to also slide back. There may be two thin washers, some have two. The seal will probably be cork. Don't break the cork seal. Slide it easy. When all those parts are back down the tube about 12", unscrew the four 1/2" bolts at the back of the transmission. The large retainer will come loose and expose the "ball" that actually goes into the rear of the transmisison. That ball actually moves around. Slide the large retainer back. There are gaskets, or shims, between the retainer and the back of the transmission. Move all of those back, if they are loose, or stuck to the retainer. If they are stuck to the tranmission, just leave them there at this time. Now try to loosen the ball by moving it or turning it. When it comes loose, you will lose some transmission oil - not much, but it will surprise you when it dumps out.
The ball, some call the total piece a bell because it will ring if it you tap it with another piece of metal, will then slide back down the torque tube also. There is another seal that actually rides against the ball where the retainer touches the ball. It is shaped to fit the configuration of the ball and to allow the reatiner to seal between it and the ball. This is another piece to be carefull with unless you are going to replace it. There you will see the U-joint.
On reassembly, you will have to use the same gaskets you have because you can't change them unless you totally disassemble the U-joint. That's the only way you'll get new gaskets on the assembly. If you do disassemble the entire U-joint, you might want to get a gasket kit so you can put it together with new gaskets. The kit will have all the gaskets and seals we have just talked about. Most of the suppliers like American Classic Trucks, Jim Carter, etc. have the gasket kits. If you decide to use new gaskets, those gaskets on the retainer that hold the bell to back of the transmission serve two purposes. The are gaskets, but they are also shims. When you assemble the retainer to the back of the transmission with the bell in it, the idea is to put enough gasket-shims between the retainer and the transmission to not only create a seal, but allow the ball to still be loose enough to move around. The way to do that is to do a test assembly with the bell, reatiner and gasket-shims to see how tight you get it without it being too tight. Once you achieve that goal, then you reassemble it.
I hope you find your problem with the U-joint. Good luck!
Joe
