Tips for rebuilding a torque tube.
01-26-2011, 01:36 AM
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Tips for rebuilding a torque tube.
Just finished a rebuild of the torque tube (new couplers and bearings) and would like to post some tips in case anyone else has problems. I noticed a lot of the tutorials left out a few crucial things so thats what this post is for. This also helpful for anyone replacing a clutch or otherwise removing the driveline.
So, here we go.
1. When lowering the rear, watch out for harness and brake clips. Theres 2 hard brake line clips and 4 harness clips on the cradle, 1 on the top/back of the differential, and 1 on the top/passenger side of the transmission-to-differential mating surface. Take pictures of the routing of the wiring. Trust me, when it comes time to put it back in you will not remember!
2. There are brake lines on the shifter-side of the torque tube. To prevent ripping them out while lowering the rear/torque tube, remove the shifter box when you remove the shifter.
3. The clutch slave "quick disconnect" doesn't always produce an audible click when you compress the ring on it to remove it. When you can no longer see the ring, just pull on it and it'll come apart. It is a "dry" connection meaning air wont enter the system. However fluid may drip down so have a towel ready.
4. To get the driveshaft/propeller shaft out of the torque tube, it must come out evenly and straight. If it binds up you have to use a mallet to put it back in and start over.
The best way to get it out is to place a 2x4 piece of wood on the floor, stand the torque tube on it (engine-side spline on the wood), lift it up around 6 inches, and drop it on the wood. The driveshaft should just pop out of the top. It may take a couple of tries.
We tried it the GM way and it constantly binded up in the tube. Some friendly members here recommended the wood-drop method and it worked on the first try.
5. When putting the giant 5"+ snap ring back in place, IT IS DIRECTIONAL. There is a flat side and an angled/slanted side. The snap ring must be installed with the flat side against the propeller shaft assembly. When using the car's orientation, the flat side of the snap ring will face towards the front of the car.
If you put it in backwards it will get stuck and you may need to heat up the torque tube to get it back out. There is nothing fun about this.
6. When installing the torque tube back onto the engine, it is an absolute pain getting everything lined up. To make things easier, remove the rear crade/suspension assembly from the differential. It is held on with 2 bolts. if you leave it on it rocks around and shifts and makes aligning the torque tube incredibly difficult.
To make sure the splines are lining up correctly, you can remove the bellhousing inspection cover (the bottom half of the bellhousing, and carefully rotate the flywheel with a flat-head screwdriver. If the splines on the torque tube/driveshaft rotate with it then it is aligned.
7. When reinstalling the upper control arms and shocks, place a floor jack under the lower control arm and lift it a few inches and the upper control arm will move into place.
HOWEVER, make sure you reinstall the e-brake bracket bolts first as the top e-brake bracket bolt cant install when the upper control arm is bolted in.
8. DO NOT use anything except hand tools on the 4 nuts that hold the rear cradle to the chassis. The studs are held in place with rivets. If you use an impact wrench it will break the rivets and the studs will spin. You can fix them by accessing them through floor of your car, by cutting a hole in it. Or just use hand tools.
9. With the slave cylinder removed, now is a really good time to install a remote clutch bleeding system. If you dont want to wait for it or are on limited time, you can bleed the clutch after you reinstall the driveline. There is a bleed screw that can be accessed on the top of the driver's side of the torque tube. It isnt too difficult but it is uncomfortable and cramped. You will need someone to pump the clutch pedal for you if you are not installing a remote bleeder.
10. An easy way to remove and install the bearings on the propeller shaft is to use your old couplers (if changing them). Using a serrated knife, increase the diameter of the center hole of one of your old couplers. You can now use this with a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to evenly install the bearings. I also used a heavy cardboard tube to make it even easier (one used to hold drafting papers). You can get a sturdy one from a drafting supply company or an old one from an engineering/design business nearby.
11. When placing a jack under the transmission, make sure not to block the lower 2 bolts that connect the torque tube to the transmission. If you do, you will not be able to remove/install them since they will not be accessible. You will have to either support the whole assembly with stands, lower the transmission jack and reposition it, or raise the entire assembly back into the car. Just be mindful of this for the smoothest removal and reinstallation.
And finally, take your time, label all of your bolts and screws, and take pictures. Its not especially fun but with a couple of buddies and a weekend it can be hammered out. With these tips you will avoid a lot of unnecessary downtime. Good luck!
So, here we go.
1. When lowering the rear, watch out for harness and brake clips. Theres 2 hard brake line clips and 4 harness clips on the cradle, 1 on the top/back of the differential, and 1 on the top/passenger side of the transmission-to-differential mating surface. Take pictures of the routing of the wiring. Trust me, when it comes time to put it back in you will not remember!
2. There are brake lines on the shifter-side of the torque tube. To prevent ripping them out while lowering the rear/torque tube, remove the shifter box when you remove the shifter.
3. The clutch slave "quick disconnect" doesn't always produce an audible click when you compress the ring on it to remove it. When you can no longer see the ring, just pull on it and it'll come apart. It is a "dry" connection meaning air wont enter the system. However fluid may drip down so have a towel ready.
4. To get the driveshaft/propeller shaft out of the torque tube, it must come out evenly and straight. If it binds up you have to use a mallet to put it back in and start over.
The best way to get it out is to place a 2x4 piece of wood on the floor, stand the torque tube on it (engine-side spline on the wood), lift it up around 6 inches, and drop it on the wood. The driveshaft should just pop out of the top. It may take a couple of tries.
We tried it the GM way and it constantly binded up in the tube. Some friendly members here recommended the wood-drop method and it worked on the first try.
5. When putting the giant 5"+ snap ring back in place, IT IS DIRECTIONAL. There is a flat side and an angled/slanted side. The snap ring must be installed with the flat side against the propeller shaft assembly. When using the car's orientation, the flat side of the snap ring will face towards the front of the car.
If you put it in backwards it will get stuck and you may need to heat up the torque tube to get it back out. There is nothing fun about this.
6. When installing the torque tube back onto the engine, it is an absolute pain getting everything lined up. To make things easier, remove the rear crade/suspension assembly from the differential. It is held on with 2 bolts. if you leave it on it rocks around and shifts and makes aligning the torque tube incredibly difficult.
To make sure the splines are lining up correctly, you can remove the bellhousing inspection cover (the bottom half of the bellhousing, and carefully rotate the flywheel with a flat-head screwdriver. If the splines on the torque tube/driveshaft rotate with it then it is aligned.
7. When reinstalling the upper control arms and shocks, place a floor jack under the lower control arm and lift it a few inches and the upper control arm will move into place.
HOWEVER, make sure you reinstall the e-brake bracket bolts first as the top e-brake bracket bolt cant install when the upper control arm is bolted in.
8. DO NOT use anything except hand tools on the 4 nuts that hold the rear cradle to the chassis. The studs are held in place with rivets. If you use an impact wrench it will break the rivets and the studs will spin. You can fix them by accessing them through floor of your car, by cutting a hole in it. Or just use hand tools.
9. With the slave cylinder removed, now is a really good time to install a remote clutch bleeding system. If you dont want to wait for it or are on limited time, you can bleed the clutch after you reinstall the driveline. There is a bleed screw that can be accessed on the top of the driver's side of the torque tube. It isnt too difficult but it is uncomfortable and cramped. You will need someone to pump the clutch pedal for you if you are not installing a remote bleeder.
10. An easy way to remove and install the bearings on the propeller shaft is to use your old couplers (if changing them). Using a serrated knife, increase the diameter of the center hole of one of your old couplers. You can now use this with a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to evenly install the bearings. I also used a heavy cardboard tube to make it even easier (one used to hold drafting papers). You can get a sturdy one from a drafting supply company or an old one from an engineering/design business nearby.
11. When placing a jack under the transmission, make sure not to block the lower 2 bolts that connect the torque tube to the transmission. If you do, you will not be able to remove/install them since they will not be accessible. You will have to either support the whole assembly with stands, lower the transmission jack and reposition it, or raise the entire assembly back into the car. Just be mindful of this for the smoothest removal and reinstallation.
And finally, take your time, label all of your bolts and screws, and take pictures. Its not especially fun but with a couple of buddies and a weekend it can be hammered out. With these tips you will avoid a lot of unnecessary downtime. Good luck!
Last edited by Kotlas; 01-26-2011 at 08:22 PM. Reason: Added more; corrected some spelling
01-26-2011, 08:23 PM
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Added some more. If anyone has anything else to add feel free! We had a really hard time finding some of this information and some it we found out the hard way (aka hours of downtime).
