1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

As a matter of fact I do. I can take a picture of it when I get home today.

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

WOW! Tim, that would be great. I have sent you a PM with my email.
Thanks again. JIM

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

pictures of an actual center bearing---

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Contact [email protected] and ask him to send you instructions
on how to remove and replace the center bearing. G.M.

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

These are Skip's instructions:

1937-1948 CENTER DRIVE SHAFT BEARING REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

1- Remove speedometer drive gears and bearing.
2- Remove torque tube to rear bolts. Slide torque tube off drive shaft.
3-Stand torque tube up with rear bolt flange down.
4- Remove center grease fitting.
5- lnsert 42" length of 1-1/2" steel pipe down through transmission end of torque tube. Make sure it is centered on old bearing and drive out with a large hammer. There is a metal flange down there you will hit if not centered. [That is shown in alanwoodieman's pictures.]
6- Clean inside torque tube and examine with a flash light for any rubber or dirt.
7- Apply grease from rear end with an old broom handle to bearing area.
8- Insert alignment pin in grease fitting hole.
9- Slide new bearing assembly on drive shaft. If to tight file shaft to fit. It wants to slide on with very little effort, yet not be to loose.
10- Clean inside of new bearing sleeve and apply a THIN coat of J.B. Weld (not the fast hardening type) inside the sleeve and on the center bearing surface of the drive shaft. Grease the O.D. of the rubber.
11- Clean broom handle and slide new bearing assembly on broom handle with the white line facing down. With the torque tube standing up with the transmission end down, slide the bearing assembly onto the torque with the white line on the side of the grease hole in the torque tube.
12- Lay torque tube on a set of saw horses and with a flash light look in from transmission end. Align white line on end of bearing with the alignment to pin in grease hole.
13- Stand torque tube up on transmission end. REMOVE ALIGNMENT PIN and broom handle.
14- Take a 36" length of 2" plastic pipe with a coupling on one end and insert the coupling end down in the torque tube. Center on bearing and with a block of wood and a heavy hammer drive the bearing in until it seats. Carefully watch the white line through the grease hole so the hole in the tube aligns with the hole in the rubber.
15- Insert drive shaft into torque tube through the new bearing assembly and bolt up the rear.
16- Install grease fitting and grease.

Here's Skip's ad for the bearing:

http://www.flatheadv8.org/shaftcenterbearing.jpg

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Alan, GM and Old Henry: THANK YOU all very much for your help. I wonder if there is any sure fire way that bearing can be checked to see if it's working properly? My thinking is that I would replace it since the torque tube would already be removed. But then again, perhaps it's working fine as is. Wouldn't there be a noisey vibration if it was "
bad"? JIM

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

I wouldn't try to remove it to check, the rubber it's mounted
in will break apart. Pull the drive shaft and make something
the OD of the drive shaft to reach down in and see if the
bearing turns or feels wobbly. That's about all you can do.
Grease it good. G.M.

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Jim

Looks like you are all set with the picture. I'll take one anyway since mine is not cut away.

Good luck,

Tim

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

We have a 46 woodie with a bad clutch chatter problem .Son Andy the mechanic said that the noise seems to be coming from the drive tube .His suggestion: Drill a hole in the bottom of the outer tube back from the bearing thread the hole for a 5/16 bolt .Screw it up to the drive shaft .I did, you could feel it touch the shaft but it could still be tightened maybe 3 to 4 turns and then it stopped with a tinny sound as though the shaft was hitting the grease seal We tested the car for a short drive with the bolt against the shaft and the chatter seemed to be better .so will be changing the bearing this winter. John.

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

OK, fellas. Here are some pictures.

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Fordy,I tested mine with a L shaped piece of welding rod on the end of a steel rod. I put the welding rod in between the rollers and rotated it to see if they rolled freely. I used a bright flashlight to see it turn. The rollers were shiny and turned easy,so I hope it is OK. There was a thread about this and most people said they usually don't fail.

You can flush it through the grease fitting hole to clean it.

John

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction
 

have you dismantled the torque tube/driveshaft? are there any marks on the shaft?, the one I dismembered the shaft was welded on one end to coupling and other end was welded to hitch and it was really turned down in the center from wear, etc

Re: 1940 Torque Tube Center Bearing construction