Universal ball collar adjustment 1950 chevy 1/2 ton truck

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by Blueflame236, Nov 9, 2008.

  1. Blueflame236

    Blueflame236 Member

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    Hi there

    1950 1/2 t. chevy truck.

    I need some advice to adjust the universal ball collar properly towards the transmission U joint ? Some pictures of the ball collar/universal joint would help to. The kit i have bought from Classic parts maintaines paper blue shims and an cork seal to do the job.

    Regards Martinius Berg
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2008
  2. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Hi Martinus ;

    I wrote a detailed post before but the quick answer (I may have to bail here) is : remove U-Joint , hand polish the ball where it meets the tranny with wet/dry 1,000 grit or FINER paper , clean and assemble , you want just enough shims to where the ball doesn't drop of it's own weight but moves with a light pull/push on the end .

    Tyo to re-use the old Leather_ outer ring seal , soak it in motor oil a few days to soften it up .

    now , remove the ball , , install the U-Joint without ripping the paper shims , use NEW metal ears on the U-Joint bolts or maybe LocTite (Chevs of The 40's has new locks cheap) , remember to slateher everything with gooey 90W gear oil as it goes to-gether and then re-fill the tranny as some gear oil burps through the rear bearing to fill the U-joint cavity , NEVER use grease ! I know there's a Zerk fitting on the top , that's how GM filled it when it was on the assembly line.... oil through a Zerk fitting is very fast .

    O.K. ? .

    Good luck , don;tpanic , look for my older post please , by brother is here to change the oil on my old Mercedes as I cannot touch tools right now .

    Sorry for the short reply but you'll like my old Torque Tube Ball post..
     
  3. Blueflame236

    Blueflame236 Member

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    Hello again Nate

    Thank you for the good advices you have given me. These i will use. Should i soak the the corgue seal in the ball house in oil to, to make it more smooth you know ?
    When the job is done i will send you some new pictures from the truck again.

    Martinius/Norway.
     
  4. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Cork Seal

    Hi Martinus ;

    Yes ~ soak it in thin oil for 24 hours or longer if you can , if you use the felt seal , soak that first too .

    The reason it's so important to sand the ball smooth where it meets the tranny is : years of vibrations leave ring shaped dents in it that prevent it from pivoting up and down as needed easily & smoothly....
     
  5. Blueflame236

    Blueflame236 Member

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    Hi again Nate;
    We followed your advices and mounted the remanufactured 235 engine yesterday. Oiling the seals did the job and the ball house became nice after i had polished it with fine grinding paper. Its pivoting smoothly up and down now. Should i fill here up(the ball house) with transmission oil instead off using graphite grease Nate ?

    Regards Martinius.
     
  6. Chiro

    Chiro Member

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    Matinius,

    Look in one of Nate's posts on this thread and you will see he says to NEVER use grease in the ball housing. You can liberally coat all the internals with transmission oil (gear oil) before assembly or if it is already together you can take out the zerk (grease) fitting on top of the housing and dribble in about 500ml of gear oil through that opening. Throw away the zerk fitting and replace it with a plug so nobody EVER mistakes it for a grease fitting again. After the transmission is filled with gear oil, the oil will burp through to the trunnion/universal joint within the housing so no worries there.

    Andy
     
  7. Blueflame236

    Blueflame236 Member

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    Hi Andy

    Could not find Nate`s earlyer post on this thread but i will follow your advice (500 ml gearoil ).

    Thank you Martinius.
     
  8. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    As Andy Said

    Oil is the correct lube to use in these , trunnion typ enclosed U-Joints .

    Be aware they'll drip so preiodice topping up of the gear oil will be necessary .

    I hope you like driving your old truck as much as I love driving mine....

    GOOD JOB Martinius ! .

    -Nate

     

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