Hey guys:

Does this look right, as far as the proximity of the bearing sleeve to the key? Is it supposed to be flush? I followed the instructions in the MFTCA book on the rear axle, as well as reading the Ford Model T manual and put it together according to the pictures. My concern is that once I begin tightening up the nut that the pinion gear will push the sleeve back. Is that what's supposed to happen?

Do the thrust bearings butt up against the torque tube, as pictured? Anything I should be concerned about before I pack the bearing and tighten up the nut? Thanks!

- Jim

The inner sleeve should have a notch in it for the key. This has to be aligned perfectly when the sleeve is pressed onto the shaft or bits of the hardened sleeve will chip off and cause trouble. Yes, the tightening of the nut on the pinion gear should press the sleeve on the last little bit. The thrust bearing looks correct.

Yes.
Norm

What you have done looks OK as the others said. Yes, the front side of the driveshaft thrust bearings will hit the back end of the driveshaft housing. You don’t want a gasket between the thrust bearing and the driveshaft housing. You do want a gasket between the back end of the driveshaft housing and the front of the spool. The “thrust” on the driveshaft is obtained by the facing the front end driveshaft bushing up at the u-joint. Make sure the face of the u-joint, where it hits the front driveshaft bushing, is smooth or it will wear out the face of the bushing. The clearance, if memory services me correctly, is 0.003-0.005”. The main thing you are looking for here is that the driveshaft is not binding up, nor is there too much play front to back.

Once you have the thrust all set, it is time to install it on the rear axle. This is where you move the pinion gear in and out of the rear axle to set your backlash. Adjustment is accomplished by installing various thicknesses of gaskets between the spool and the rear end housings. You can find different thickness of gaskets at industrial supply houses. Gaskets do come in many various thicknessess such as 0.003, 0.004. 0.005. 0.0010” etc. The gasket places may have some drop-off’s they will just give you if you tell them what you are going to do with them.

Set the rear axle with the right side up in the air, right side housing removed. Install the driveshaft and run a piece of regular typing paper through to get an idea of how the gears are meshing. “Reading” the paper will give you some idea of whether you are too far in our out. I do a final check by installing the both housing and the driveshaft assembly with some Prussian Blue on the gear teeth to see if the teeth are for sure hitting in the center of the teeth. If you have everything set up right, the rear axle will turn effortlessly by the u-joint and you will not be able to feel any play. Make several revolutions to be sure the ring gear/pinion is not binding up somewhere. If it binds up, it is an indication that the ring gear may not be tight against the differential. I keep a file and India stone handy to smooth up/dress out any imperfections in the parts.
Verne

Verne:

Thanks for the info! I have a question about how to set the clearance of the front end bushing. Quoting, " The clearance, if memory services me correctly, is 0.003-0.005”. " Do you use plastigage, feeler gauge? What do you use that enables you to get to where the bushing is. I tried using a feeler gauge, but it's too far in with the U-joint housing.

I've got two torque tubes, as you can see from the picture. When I put the driveshaft inside the shiny one (the one on the left), there's a little bit of back-and-forth play; with the one on the right, no play. I'm thinking about trading them out, but am not sure if that's the smart thing to do. They're not that expensive to replace.

Thanks to all for looking to see if I've set things up right. It's nice to have somebody double-check the work of a newbee.

- Jim

Jim,
I measure the clearance at the pinion end of the driveshaft between the front of the thrust bearing and the driveshaft housing. Center the shaft up in the hole and put a feeler gauge on either side of the thrust bearing to even it up so you get a realistic reading. You want it to rotate freely but not have too much endplay. You should be able to swap the driveshaft housings out with no problem. If you are using an original driveshaft, look at the area on the shaft where the front bearing runs on the driveshaft. Some have wear in this area. As for the housing, what seems to be worn the most on them is the ball fit area. Some are heavily worn on the outside. (The "4th Main" can be worn inside also.)
Verne

Check your clearance all the way around the ring gear. Sometimes they will bind in one spot.
Norm