1952 1/2 ton chevy truck u joint

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by mr clean, Jun 14, 2012.

  1. mr clean

    mr clean Member

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    hey.. guys i need some help.I had a 3 on tree tranny i replaced it with a 4 on the floor tranny .I was told the tranny was out of a 1950 truck iam thinking the the tranny is out of 3/4 ton or 1 ton iam not sure.The splines r a lot larger than my 3 on the tree u join splines.The u joint doesnt fit the rear of the drive shaft rod.MY spline on my drive shaft is 1 in 17 splines the u joint that came with the tranny is 1 in 3/8 whith 10 splines .I cant find a u joint that will fit that .........any body know what i can do.......help
     
  2. fab51

    fab51 Member

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    Let me start with a question...

    Does your transmission have the housing to accept the torque ball? If so, it is from either a 1/2 or 3/4 ton. Transmissions from 1 ton and up have a yoke similar to modern vehicles with an open driveshaft.

    Even though the 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks use the same transmission, they both use different u-joints. The 3/4 ton u-joint trunion is pressed into the yokes and retained with wire retainers. The u-joint slips on the output shaft as a whole. The 1/2 ton u-joint is different. The 1/2 ton trunion presses into the rear yoke, but bolts into the front yoke. What it boils down to is the fact that there is a specific front yoke for 1/2 ton applications. I learned this the hard way. I also learned that these 1/2 ton 4 speed u-joint parts come up for auction on e-bay from time to time. :)

    Hope this helps...
     
  3. mr clean

    mr clean Member

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    1952 chevy truck u joint

    Yes.....it does have the torgue tube set up.and it also had a speedo gear on it.thanx 4 your help.
     
  4. mr clean

    mr clean Member

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    1952 chevy truck u joint

    Also .....like u said yes the u joint is pressed in.any other suggestion.This is my first project .so iam a rookie at this but I have learned a lot all ready.thanx....again if u have any more help I will take it. Thanx
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2012
  5. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    U-Joint Fun

    As replacment parts , both typs of U-Joints are made with differing spline counts so just use that as a guide .

    The same Muncie SM420 tranny was used in 1/2 T up to the biggest trucks , this is why there's more than one spline count but as long as you match up the spline count , you're good to go .

    Cheapest way is to find a takeout from a Hot Rod project , there's plenty out there .

    Joe in Az. will have what you need , go look in the classified section .
     
  6. fab51

    fab51 Member

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    The speedo drive gear from the 3 speed transmission will not work with the 4 speed. They are completely different. Basically, the back half of your 3 speed u-joint (the rear yoke that slips onto the driveshaft and the trunion) will work. The front yoke is specific to the 1/2 ton 4 speed. This, along with the 4 speed 1/2 ton speedo drive gear, is the piece you will need to find.
     
  7. Slinger53

    Slinger53 Member

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    Mr. Clean,
    Have you resolved your u-joint issue yet? I am having exactley the same problem you are. I am converting the original 3-on the tree to the old M420 4-speed. The tranny is 10 spline and the driveline 17 spline. If you have figured this out, or found a u-joint/yoke set up that works, let me know. Thanks
     
  8. DeadZoneTruckin

    DeadZoneTruckin Member

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    We were able to help Mr. Clean out with the parts needed to fix his problem.
     
  9. Slinger53

    Slinger53 Member

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    Where did you tell him to find the parts? Looked for Jo in the classifieds and could not find. Do you have contact information for Joe?
     
  10. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Mother Trucker Parts

    Just click on his name above his avatar on the left there , then select private message...

    He finds them by looking in his private stash .
     

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