VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 torque tube interchange

what years tube & rearend , will swap into a 39 master 85 .
curious ................. thx. frank

Why would you want to swap your rear end?

The torque tube from a 1937-39 will be the same. The axle housing from a 1938 and 1939 will be the same.

i just want to be prepared in case of any failure of drivetrain . or are replacement axles - bearings readily available . metal fatigue , due to age comes to mind . or is the 70 year old steel good to go ?
thanks chevgene !

Here's some information on shafts, drivelines, etc that I posted on the web in 1995 (back in the dark ages)....

http://pugetsoundvintagechevrolet.org/parts/parts.htm

The axle shafts fit 1939 and 1940. They very seldom "go". The differential bearings and axle bearings are all available in new as they fit from 1937-54. If they are not making noise now there is very little chance that they will ever go bad. I have never had anything "break" on my cars due to old age.....only me.
I would jump in my '39 today and leave for any place in the country. Just as I have in the last 35 years. I do carry spare fuel and ignition parts though + a few dozen other little things.

This is a question for chevgene. what is the best way to stop the transmission oil from going through the torque tube to the rear end ?

The only way is to replace the drive shaft seal inside the torque tube. This can be a rather large job if done the way its shows in the shop manual as the drive shaft and rear end would have to be removed. Thanks to the Oakie bushing and seal available from the Filling Station it can be done with much lees work. It will be necessary to disconnect the U joing and let the torque tube drop. The front bushing in the torque tube that the rear U joint yoke rides in needs to be removed. There is another bushing a little farther back that the drive shaft rides in and a seal to the rear of that. With the Oakie bushing th rear bushing and seal are left in place and the Oakie Bushing is driven in until it hits the rear bushing. The Oakie has a seal in the rear. The drive shaft will ride in the Oakie in a new unworn postion on the shaft, the U joint yoke will also ride in the front of it. This change will not only eleminate the passage of the gear oil but will eleminate the high speed drive shaft vibration that these cars develope. While doing this I would recommend replacing the U joint if it shows any wear.
If your car is an early 1950 or older the front bushing is rather easy to remove. The little dowel is removed and the bushing tapped out. The bushing is driven in place on the late 1950 and newer and can be quite difficult to remove. A puller can be rented from the F.S. if necessary.
If you look in the shop manual you will find a cut-away of the front part of the torque tube in the rear axle and suspension section. This will give you a good "picture" of the internal torque tube parts.

Thanks Chevgene. And by the way I forgot to mention the car is a 39 master deluxe. you have been a great help. THANKS AGAIN

thanks bill - valuable inf !
chevgene , i have a slight vibration , after 25 m.p.h. , tinkered with the toe in , swithched tires around , still have the vibes . 51,000 miles on chasis , could it be the oakie bushing you refered to ? thx. frank

This is bad news! A friend gave me a pair of axles from a '39 he had so I thought I had a spare pair for my '38 just in case. Now I learn they will not fit! I guess that is something else I will have to add to my ebay sell list if and when I ever get around to selling all the extra parts I don't need or can't use. At the same time, he gave me a torque tube with the rear end gears attached. I believe they came out of a '39 Master Deluxe, or whatever a Master Deluxe became in '39. Will they not fit my '38 either? Beamer

beamer , i have a 39 . interested in the spare axles - tho i wonder how much freight would be ? also i need an in dash ashtray . thx . frank

Frank,
At that low of speed I would doubt if it would be the drive shaft bushings. That vaibation usually dosen't begin till about 45 or 50 MPH. It can be felt thru the floor and as the speed increases goes thru the whole body. Could be motor or transmounts or U joint or???...its rather difficult to diagnose noises and vibrations without actually hearing them. Then again it would not be unusual for the drive shaft bushings to be worn at 50,000 miles.

The 1938 axle shafts fit a 1938 only. They are the same as the 1939-40 in all ways except for the splines that fit into the side axle gears in the differential. The 1939 shaft could be used in a 1938 if the 1938 side gear was changed to a 1939 gears.The 1939 side gears fit from 1939-42. The 1946-54 side gears can be used on the prior models if the 1946 and up pinion gears are also used. The later gears had a different tooth pitch and can not be mixed with the earlier style.

Project 39, I will try to confirm with the guy I got them from that they are actually '39 axles. If I can and if they are, I will stop by my local UPS and see what the shipping cost would be. This may all take a little time. Beamer

:arrow:Chevgene, If the '39 axles cannot be used on a '38 without changing the side gears, does that mean the rest of the '39 differential gears also cannot be used in a '38? How about the '39 torque tube? If these items are not interchangeable with a '38 then I will also have a spare differential with torque tube I can't use. Thanks. Beamer

The torque tube is the same. The ring gear and pinion is the same. The case the ring gear bolts to is the same and all the little parts but the 2 large axle gears are different but the 2 little pinion gears are the same. gears inside the case are different. The axle banjo housing is different. If its from a Master DeLuxe it will have a 4.22 ratio rather than the more desireable Master 3.73.

Project39, I contacted the guy who gave me the axles and while he restored a '39, he said he had '38 and '39 parts cars and he is not sure which of those the axles came from. I guess I will hold onto mine until further investigation reveals which year they are from. I do have some parts I know are from the '39 such as vent window frames and I will eventually be putting those on ebay. I know they are from a '39 because they have the sliding locks which the '38 does not have. Beamer

thanks for the response beamer . do you or your freind have an in the dash ashtray ? mine is gone missing . thx. frank

Project39, No, no ashtray. My friend doesn't have any more old Chevy parts. I bought a truck load from him and he gave me some and we cleaned out everything he had a couple of years ago. Ashtrays seem to be hard to come by. Have you tried this venue's Parts Wanted? Good luck. Beamer