VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 Oakie bushing

Got my Oakie bushing today , looks like a quality unit even tho it's made in India :(

Disaster with my repair bushing assembly , I tried to install my drive shaft bushing seal assembly today in my 47 Chev, now I am in a real mess. I read the directions and followed them to the letter but now I have the bushing 3/4 of the way in and the second large diameter section has swelled my torque tube out and it will not go in any more. The bushing went in so hard I will never get it out, my tube is destroyed.Any one else had a problem with this item? The package it came in says Vintage Auto Parts manufactured it but the phone number does not work,part number is V-102 HELP

This isn't a solotion but maybe its time to get the torque tube/differential out of a 1950-1954 Power Glide (3.55 ratio) or a 1953-1954 stick (3.70 ratio)
Note that the 1951 and up has a slightly larger torque tube (which is good).

My plan was to install a NOS set of 3:73 gears I purchased on EBAY in this housing, so much for my plan, now I have a destroyed torque tube and I am off the road:( :(.The bushing was made in India. If I had expected this to be a problem I would have miked everything before hand, I really thought the problem would be that the bushing assembly would be loose in the torque tube. The instructions mention some assemblies could be loose and the bushing would need to be pinned, there was no mention of the bushing being too tight in the tube.

Hi Mel,

Your profile doesn't say where in Ontario you are? I have torque tubes so let me know if you can not find one local. I also have all the tools and some video footage on how I installed mine. We have discussed this topic a lot over the last 3 years so do an Advance Search under Oakie and you should finds some good info.

I am not at home until Sunday so will not be of any more help until then.

Good Luck, Mike

This won't help you now, but it is always a good idea to measure for clearances first before anything is installed as a press fit because there usually seems to be some differences, especially if the part in question was made overseas and not in the USA. In measuring first it will tend to avoid issues like the one that you are experiencing at present. Hopefully you can figure out a way to correct the problem.

I will be calling Jerry at the Filling Station where I purchased the bushing on Monday and see what can be done? About the only thing I can see is another new bushing ,mike it and the next housing and try again. Very disappointing :( I thought the bushing install would the easiest part of the job.Stuff like this takes the fun of working on an old car in a hurry :( Also gets darn expensive when you have to import the parts from the USA .

I take the torque tube off and start by getting the bushing out by driving it back out going in from the rear of the torque tube.

I could do that Don but I would be driving on the seal end of the Oakie bushing and would totally destroy it(Oakie) in short order.Its in there VERY VERY tight.:(Its strange because the stock front bushing that needs to be removed to install the Oakie came out very easily after removing the anchoring pin.I could split the tube and get it out but of coarse the tube would then be junk :(

Also if its an interference fit cooling the bushing by leaving in the freezer overnight will help in the assembly.

The press fit of the Oakie is way way too much compared to the fit of the stock bushing,I don't understand why they would make it so tight???? Cooling the Oakie in the freezer and maybe heating the tube would not have helped in my case, its just too frigging tight.It was actually swelling the tube as I drove it in.

StylemasterMEL, to remove the Oakie bushing form your torque tube, you could try using a 3/4-inch diameter threaded rod (from your local hardware store), 5 matching nuts, a flat washer that will go inside the tube and catch the bushing, and an exhaust pipe adapter or reducer (from your local auto parts store) that will butt up against the end of the tube and allow the bushing to pass through. Place the washer and 2 nuts on the threaded rod, tighten the nuts to lock them together at one end of the rod, and thread the other end of the rod down the tube and through the bushing. Place the exhaust pipe adapter, another washer, a nut against the washer, and 2 more nuts tightened and locked together on the threaded rod. With one wrench, hold the the nuts that are locked together, and turn the other nut against the washer with another wrench until the bushing comes free.

I don't think I would use it anyway if its driven in so hard that it expanded the outside of the torque tube. If it was mine I would get it out and start over and if I had to buy another bushing so be it. Don

Oh I will be starting over alright....I don't want to reuse the Oakie, wish I had never heard of the piece of crap .I should have stuck with my search for original GM parts, I had found the front bushing and I likely can find the rear with the seal as well. Luckily I have another torque tube but it is very aggravating spending good $$$$ on crap parts.

The drive shaft has to be removed to install the rear bushing. While you are at it you can install the 3.73 gears.

I started the bushing installation process with a bare housing,,, the only thing in the tube was the stock rear bearing/seal which instructions said not to remove.

I borrowed a friends micrometer and I miked a stock NOS GM front bushing and the O.D. is 1.725". The O.D. of the portion of the Oakie that is to press into the front of the tube is 1.765", YIKES way too large. You can't tell me I am the only person that purchased one of these defective bushings .Something strange going on here with the supplier

There are 3 different oakie bushings. One for '37 to '39 models, another for '40 to '50 models, and another for '51 to '54. What part number did you order and what part number did you receive. Sounds to me like you just got the wrong bushing.

I have a 1947 Stylemaster "car"(currently off the road)I ordered for same and got a package marked V-102 marked 1940-50 Torque Tube Bushing & Seal,,,,,,part is Made in India, company name is Vintage Auto Parts Inc.Part came with 2 instruction sheets one marked V-101. Hows that for confusing???

The 1951 and up is the larger one and is 1 15/64"
The parts book dosen't give the OD for 1940-1950.

That does not sound right. 1 15/64 is only 1.234". That sounds like the ID rather than the OD.

1 51/64" for the 1951 and up
1 23/32" for the 1950 and prior.
I had 15 rather than 51
and found the demension for the earlier

I think there is a large element of luck in fitting the Oakie bushing/seal combination. On my 39 the bush puller just removed the bronze liner in the bush and nothing I could do would shift the steel section. You really need another larger puller to remove the steel section. And yes I had removed the lock pin.
I refitted the bronze section using the universal yoke as a driver and put the replacement seal/bush on the shelf as a reminder to do things properly the next time I try.

Back to the Okie (or any torque-tube bushing) not fitting. It seems to me that the size of the bushing, as stated by Gene, would be milled to a perfect size fit. No matter where it is manufactured.

Those size specifications are just not so difficult to meet or check. Accordingly, it seems to me that C0TF and FS wouldn't sell something as simple as a torque-tube busing that doesn't fit. What is wrong with my thinking here?

Charlie

Hi Mel,

What luck have you had doing an Advance Searchon this topic? A lot of good posts are indexed here and before you get in anymore trouble you should go through them thoroughly?

Have you read up on the proper steps on installing the Torque Tube Gasket Kit which you will have to do when you have finished with your Oakie Bushing? This is another area where our index will help you. All this is related and mimics why folks jump in and do an Oakie repair, and some probably needlessly. They originally have a vibration in their drive train and don't realize what is causing it? It could be bad motor or transmission mounts, a bad universal joint, improperly installed Torque tube gaskets, but they go right to the toughest job on the drive shaft and think reading a few manufacturer's directions are going to get them through the job. They have missed the research step in the process that needs to be thoroughly done before attempting most major repairs.

If you haven't done your homework your ......

Good luck, Mike