VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Propeller shaft installation

Awhile back my drive shaft broke and I am just now getting around to replacing it. I have installed all new bearings and bushings. When I went to put the shaft back in the torque tube the bearing lock sleeve wouldn't go all the way in place. The only way to get to it to tap it in place would be to remove the pinion gear and pinion gear bearing. According to the book that's not how it's done. The book says to install all the bearings and the pinion gear on the shaft and then insert the shaft in the tube until the bearing sleeve lock screws will go in place. I can see the bearing lock sleeve through the lock sleeve screw holes but it is only about halfway past that screw opening. That's as far as I can get it. What am I doing wrong or what am I not doing?

Thanks in advance.

Does pinion bearing fit into the housing. You may be going in to the bearing, which may not be fiitng into the housing.
John

The pinion bearing and thrust bearing go in fine. Tight like they're supposed to. I keep thinking I left something out because that bearing lock sleeve rides free over the bearing spacer. I don't see any way to put it in place. Am I making sense?

Hi,

I am not sure what stage you are at now. I hope it is with the torque tube out of the car. If so, place the tube on the big end and standing straight up. Use a rod or pipe and gently nudge the ring into place.

Assumption is that when replacing all the parts that you ended up at the same place before disassembly length wise.

If you have already mounted the torque tube, and no errors were made in the replacement of parts, and the front bushing and seal have not been replaced you can try the same fix.

Once you get one of the tapered screws started, don't tighten until you have the other two started.

I assume you returned the same number of pinion shims that came out for a start point?

Good Luck!

Hi rbl2,
I went through this. When I tore mine down to replace all the bearings, I found a sticky lump of greasy goo packed behind the lock sleeve. Upon further examination and cleanup, I discovered that somebody had used a short length of straight radiator hose to hold the lock sleeve in place while they inserted the propeller shaft back into the housing. I don't know if this was a good idea or not but it obviously got the job done. When I re-assembled it, I left the hose out and employed the help of Isaac Newton (i.e. gravity).

Regards,
Ron

The torque tube is out of the car. But how can I nudge the ring into place if the pinion gear and pinion gear bearing are in the way? The only way I could do that would be to remove them.

I cannot promise you everything ended up in the same place it was before disassembly.

There were no shims. Not even any signs of trash.

Gravity.... didn't work. That's a tight fit in there.

If I use the idea of a rubber hose I can promise you I'll never admit it. But it does sound like a good idea.

You should be working from the front end of the torque tube, not the back. You can't do anything from the rear. A long rod or small pipe would be the desired tool.

Ray, I'll take the blame here but one of us isn't understanding the other.

The front of the tube being where the universals go I don't see at all how you could get the bearing lock sleeve in place from there. You'd be going the wrong direction.

Perhaps this picture will show what is necessary to get the ring in place and then secure it with the three tapered screws.

I have that picture, thanks. Feel free to call me stupis but I still don't see in there how to get that ring in place.

rbl2,
You say you can see the lock ring half way through the screw holes. Isn't that about where it's supposed to be for the tapered screws to hold it in position?

Regards,
Ron

It's the first half I see. It still needs to move further. About the width of the ring.

I don't know what I did different but it's together now.

I disassembled it all, cleaned it and wiped it all down with diesel fuel, re-assembled it and put it back in the tube. With some very light tapping with a block of wood it went together quite easily.

I had done all that the first time. I'm thinking there must have been some garbage in the tube I had missed before.

Thanks to everyone for trying to help.

That is what perseverance will do for you.

Congratulations!

Are you implying my getting angry, cussing at it, and threatening to replace everything with (censored) parts had nothing to do with it?