The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop '50 3100 Torque Tube Warm

Tested my '50 3100 today. I'm running the Patricks 3:55 conversion and ran the truck about 25 mi at 60 mph. As soon as I pulled into the garage I crawled underneath to check everything out. I noticed that the rear differential cover was warm to the touch. Not hot, just warm. Fluid is full. I'm more concerned about the tube. The bell housing on the upper torque tube was quite warm. Now it wasn't hot, I could keep my hand on the tube/bell. But it was noticably warmer than the surrounding area and a bit warmer than the transmission. Is this normal? I could only find 1 previous post on this and was not sure what the final conclusion was. Does anone else notice this on a torque tube set up?

Did you put new bushings or an Okie bushing in while doing the 3.55?
With an Okie it is not uncommon to be quite warm at first.

Did you add additional transmission fluid, so the u-joint would get lubrication?

...if you drove 25 miles at 60 mph I would say it reached its "operating temperature". I suspect its fine but Dave and Tim has ask a couple good questions.

Inside the hollow torque ball {bell}is the universal joint of the driveshaft that allows relative motion between the two ends of the driveshaft. The 'bell' requires clearance via gasket/shim. On the '49 3600 tube, I had a composition 1/16 gasket made that allowed compression for the desired specs. GM refers that a set of 'shims' are offered for that clearance. Check the angle of the shaft from tran / rearend.

Friction will cause heat, I would call warm as normal. The bell needs clearance.

It would not be uncommon for any mechanical device to get warn when operated over that distance and that speed. After checking the fluid level if it is OK then I would not be concerned at all.

To be honest it was 4 years ago and it's difficult to remember. I did put in new bushings when I did the conversion. Don't know the difference between the Okie and the standard bushings. The bushings were whatever came with the Patrick's conversion. I remember setting the bell clearance with the "shims" but I'll check the bell and shaft again. As for lubrication I filled the transmission and "U" joint at the plugs. I'll check the lubricant level again.

Maybe I'm paranoid but I don't want this thing to fail. In doing the frame off, I found the 3:55 conversion and the electrical system the two most difficult items for this rookie. They are also the ones that worry me the most.

The Oakie bushing would be a single tube like affair about 6" long which is driven in from the front of the tube with a fair amount of force. The separate bushings are much smaller in length, roughly around an inch each.

Another thought. Check to be certain your axle breather is free. Its on top of the driver's side axle housing.

I believe I installed an Oakie bushing. I do remember the bushing being very long.

I crawled under the truck tonight and found a small puddle of fluid directly under the area where the torque tube meets the bell. The fluid was leaking where the sleeve screws onto the bell. The sleeve was loose, so I snugged it up with a pair of channel locks. Everything else looked ok. This led me to another question:

I looked in the shop manual to see how much fluid should be added to both the transmission and the fill point above the bell. I couldn't find any fluid capacities for either fill point. Can anyone tell me how much the tranny and bell area hold? I need to check both but don't want to overfill. I know it takes 80W90 but how much? Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

What year Shop Manual did you look at?

The 1950 Shop Manual says 6 pints for 4-speed and 1.5 pints for a 3-speed.

I fill the transmission until fluid reached the filler hole. I then let it sit for about an hour and check again.