VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc Torque Tube 101

I am scrapping an extra rear axle from my 1950. I had to disassemble it so I could lift it as well as get it into my van. I was curious as to what was inside the actual tube. So I took it apart and took the following photos. Sort of a drive shaft inside a drive shaft.

THANK YOU!

It is great to see pictures like these to help when someone does have to take the torque tube apart.

I think they went to that tube inside of a tube to reduce vibration, and the possibility of it whipping. It should be stronger as well.

I also believe the torque tube set up protected components from harsh road conditions. I was raised in a farming region where dirt/mud roads were common. Plowing through a mud road following the deep ruts was hard on everything, a closed driveline made perfect sense.
Dave B

I have always been amazed that Chevy used this design with only one u-joint for so many years. There is no cancellation of the speed variation due to the angle in a u-joint. So the driveshaft to the rear axle speeds up and slows down every revolution.

As cars became quieter and people demanded less noise and vibration Chevy finally had to adopt a 2 u-joint drive shaft.

On some level it boils down to torque tubes vs open driveline.

Chevy ran that one u-joint straight, and so it would only vibrate when it was off axis (bumps). You can't do that with a needle bearing type u-joint. If you do the needle bearings will pound dents int the journals in very short order, so you have to have two u-joints, and arrange them so they are not running straight, but the vibrations still cancel.

You can solve the dent pounding problem by using plain bearings instead of needles, but then you need to run the u-joint in oil to make it live. That's not a problem for a torque tube.

Hello Hawkeye,

I am a new member so still getting use to the format.

Do you know the Diff Ratio by counting the teeth on Ring&Pinion. Also pinion shaft 10 or 17 spline?

Thankyou.

Raffjack71926

Raffjack71926, sorry I do not. After I disassembled the torque tube, it was taken to a local scrap metal yard. I never counted the teeth or measured anything. The only thing I can tell you is that it was an original 4:11 gear.

Crap! I need that shaft just broke mine in November having a hard time locating one.