VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Torque Tube Bushing

I still haven't been able to get the 52 PG 3:55 from the junk yard. All I get is promises and a lot of "equipment down" (to move other cars in the way), etc.

So, here's the problem with the origional type 4:11 I pulled out. I can just turn the drive shaft by using a pair of vice grips and slipping a three foot piece of pump-pipe over the end of the VGs. When I do so the tube gets hot and seems to be hotest at the second bushing back (from U-Joint end).

Anyone know how I can get it freed up. I don't want to distrub the settings and drill out the bushings if I can help it.

Thanks,
Charlie

BTW: I do have a couple of NOS torque tubes with the bushings in place but resetting the ring gear and pinion scares me. I just know that if I go through the resetting and all, that it'll whine so bad that it'll clear the deer from the edge of the road better than those little whistles you put on the bumber.

charlie, setting the rear gears isn't so bad, i did it. i got it on the second adjustment. just be patience and don't get in a hurry and you'll do fine. if you have any tech questions, gene would problely give you some advice. he helped me when i changed rear ends. i found my 3.55 rear end in a junk yard for a hundred dollars. drove two hundred miles to get it,but it was worth the time to get it. my only big problem was driving the old shaft out. and it took a bfh and a block of 4x4 to do it. good luck

Thanks Ken, for the encouragement.

I decided that I would visit the junkyard again to try and get them to get the 52 P.G. rearend out for me. So I washed the 41 copue and drove it out there. Waste of time and gas.

The excuse this time, and has been for a month now, remains that the big fork lift is down. At least now he has someone working on and that it will be up in a day or two. Yeah, I've heard that song before. We'll see.

I told the owner that I should have top priority when the FL is repaired.

Last week I started an ad in the local paper but nothing so far. Oh well.
Thanks again,
Charlie

Charlie,
after driving around the ky county junk yards wasting time and gas, i put in an ad on Craigs list. i never thought that it would pan out. but after two days the guy e-mailed me that he had one. it goes to show you that you never can tell. you might try Craigs list. also Hemmings magazine usually has people parting out 50-54 power glides. they are still out there. just a thought...ken

Thanks Ken, I'll try that.
Charlie

You have mail.

Ken, Question: Did you advertise for the whole rear end or just the torque tube and gears? Please let me know just how you worded the ad.
Thanks,
Charlie

i advertised for the whole rear end. i tried to just get the gears but no one seemed to want to pull apart the rear end. i also had to borrow my brothers truck to go get it. i believe you would have better luck asking for the whole rear end. my ad read, wanted: 1952-54 chevy power glide rear end. hope that helps...ken

Ken, I'll try that also.
Heap of thanks.
Charlie

Make that 1950-1954 PG rear end and torque tube.
There is a slight advantage to the 1951 and up as the torque tube is a little larger and stronger.
If yo use some of the NOS tubes you have its important to know what year they are as the shim paks varied.
If you do find a used one I would replace the bushings or install an Oakie bushing and seal. The old bushings can be a bear to remove as for the late 1950 and up they are pressed in and really hard to get out unless you pull the ting gear and pinion and drive shat out and drive them out from behind.
Don't overlook a 3.70 from a 1953-54 stick. I have a 3.73 in my '39 and its very comfortable at 65 -70 MPH....for long distance I road travel.

Gene, Thanks for the advice. Actually, I believe that I would prefer the 53-54 straight drive ratio 3:73 to the 3:55, anyway. It just seems to me that for the stock power of a 41 216 a 3:55 is a bit too tall a jump in ratio. Nonetheless, I'd do either one to escape the 4:11.

Anyway, and just in case I don't find a suitable carrier with either of the more desirable gears, I have elected to get the 4:11 ready. I could never get the drive shaft turning free enough to risk reinstalling the whole rear end.

Accordingly, I have sacrificed one of the NOS carriers. I have knocked out the shaft and gears and reinstalled them into the new carrier. It now turns freely. The drive shaft had some hardened gunk on it that made it almost seized up. I cleaned it.) Why didn't I use the old torque tube? Well, the bussing gook and the fact that the rivet for the front bearing had been cut out. It had a slot cut from the front to where the retaining rivet used to be. No new rivet was installed. I decided to junk the whole carrier.

As to numbers: The NOS carrier had a cast number of: 3657319 and a metal tag on the bearing cap reading: 605335 which is not listed in my 29-52 parts book. The book says the part number should be: 3691492. Must be a number change but I don't see it in the back of the -52 book.

Now as to shims. There were two in the old carrier. I didn't see any in the new one and I don't see how they would be held in place anyway. I installed everything that came out of the old carrier including the two shims. Everything that could be is bottomed out. The bearing sleeve doesn't quite clear the bearing lock sleeve screw holes. I can see the edge of it when I look into the screw holes. But I figure that's ok because the tapered screws do go in far enough to seize the sleeve its tapered side.

Right now I'm having trouble getting the adjuster nuts in place in the side bearing caps. What a mess!

I sure appreciate all the advice and encouragement I've received.
Best,
Charlie

BTW: As to any help form my wife, why she won't even bring me a glass of cool water to drink when I'm working on the car out in the hot, hot garage. Even a farmer's wife will gladly bring her husband a cool jar of water when he a way off plowing the South forty. That is except mine. She wouldn't.

Last night we were heading out to the cafeteria and she asked me, "Which car are we taking." We had the Yukon and the Toyota product. But I replied "This one" referring to the 41 coupe sitting under the carport. She turned and looked at me like I had been drinking from a jar of stump-hole, and contemptibly replied "You have GOT to be kidding." See what misery and lack of enthusiastic support I have to deal with?

charlie,
actually the adjuster nuts was the hardest part of the whole change over. trying to put the caps in and start the bolts was a real problem. the ring carrier would fall out making me say some terrible words. what i did was to take a piece of 2x4 and brace (wedge) it up in position. then i took some bearing grease and put it on the threads so it would stick in position so i could start the bolts. once all the bolts were lined up and the adjuster nuts could spin easily, i was ready to start the adjustment procedure. hope that helps you some...ken

try patricks speed shop az they make new 355 gears and pinion and supply all the goods to install even spine adapter and okie bushing they supply all vendors they were out of stock but they are back . just installed a set on 1939 chevrolet works good plan to do two more.

Good news. I met a guy at the Charlotte Fall Auto Fair that has access to a 52 and 53. Both with power glide and hence 3:55 rear ends. I can get one for a buck (100.00). Because I need one for the 41 and one for the 50, I'm thinking of getting them both.

The thing is there is a 52 PG in a junk yard right here in town but after two months of excuses from the owner, I can't get him to either pull it or give me a price for when he does. I could always use a spare I guess.

What do any of you advise. Should I go for the two I know that I can get? Thanks for your advice in advance.
Charlie

congrats!!! charlie, i knew you would find one, much less two rear ends! and for a $100 each, i say that you cant go wrong buying both of them. as for the junk yard guy being hard to deal with. i would still when ever he gets around to pulling it, buy the rear end. you never can tell who might need a 3.55 rear end. maybe even keep it as a spare. ken

Two in the back of your truck is better than one in a junk yard. Just make sure they were stored in such a way that water could not enter the internals.

I agree with Chev Nut. I ruined the diff in my 38 by not sealing the end of the drive shaft casing. Totaly rusted the centre out.
Tony

Update:

I called the guy back and told him that I'd take both of them. Now says he wants to keep the 52 on account he has a "feeler" for the complete package (whole car) and doesn't want to part it out. It's a Bel Air and if in restorable condition, I can understand that. Funny thing is, it seems my contacts there are all street rodders, so the rear end will likely be removed anyway. Go figure.

I'm going after the 53 this Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get it. Da beat goes on.

Why do some thing have to be so hard?
Charlie

Update: Re: 3:55. Got one.

After many phone calls, I was going after both the 52 and the 53. Turns out the 52 just had a "power glide" trunk emblem but, alas, it was a straight drive. So that left the 53 PG. Pulled the torque tube (with gears) and brought it home. It's in the garage. Has a ton of dried clay mud attached to it. Oh, well.

Guy has a nice, restorable 53 Bel Air with PG he wants to sell. Looked like it was well worth the asking price of 3K. If any one is interested, I can put you in touch.

Best,
Charlie

ta da!!! Charlie, let us know how it feels to go 65-70mph at a lower rpm.
"may the hair of your tupee blow all over the highway!" smile!!

Thanks Ken. I doubt that old 216 will ever hit 70 but 60 will be enough to feel relatively comfortable on the interstates. I hope I don't have to downshift for any grade over one percent. We'll see.
Best,
Charlie

I can see where KWchevy is coming from. When I installed the 3.73 gears in my '39 I was amazed how nice and smooth it was at 70 MPH. Found tha 67 to 68 was a nice crusing speed....Which is about 3000 RPM. With my 4.22 gears 3000 was only about 55 MPH and mormally drove it at 60+.

Ken and Jene, I'll get me a louder set of horns in case I ever come up on you dwaddling along in the fast lane. I would use a passing light but I don't have one and, incidently, not looking for one. I think Ron Wade cornered the market on them. Y-all turn your hearing aids up. I'll be a-coming!
Charlie

BTW: Gene, I don't have to do anything but just slide the 53 (3:55) torque and carrier (with gears in place) into the 41 (4:11) housing, do I?