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Driveshaft stuck in torque tube

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SensibleSpectaculars View Drop Down
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    Posted: Aug/13/2022 at 10:27am
I'm working on putting back together a 1965 Marlin V8 that has been sitting for years. The car is on jack stands with the torque tube disengaged from the transmission, the rear axle pulled back about a foot or so under the car. This is a long-stalled project that needs to put back together so something can be done with it. (Obviously the car cannot even be moved with the rear axle disconnected so putting that back together is step #1.)

However, the driveshaft is pulled out in the torque tube and disengaged from the differential. (I don't recall but this must have happened when the rear axle was rolled back.) Fore and aft the shaft appears to be stuck in the center support bearing. It spins freely and can move around but doesn't want to push back in. I don't recall this being a problem when I replaced the driveshaft many years ago with one that had a good CV joint, was able to change the shafts pretty easily.

I've tried whacking the front of the shaft with a plastic-faced deadblow hammer to try to get it to move but it's tough to get a good shot at it since the CV joint wants to move to the side and no joy there. Of course pulling the axle and torque tube out from underneath the car would give more working room and I may have to do that - but that thing is danged heavy, and as tends to happen with stalled projects a lot of junk has accumulated around and in back of the car.

Any ideas on how to reseat the driveshaft in this thing?




Edited by SensibleSpectaculars - Aug/13/2022 at 10:29am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/16/2022 at 4:23pm
The shaft floats free on each end, just the center bearing supports it. If the connector pulled off the rear axle you will have to unbolt the tube from the rear axle to get it back on. Can't do it otherwise.

Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SensibleSpectaculars Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/16/2022 at 10:24pm
Thanks, I'm not really sure what's going on with it. The driveshaft in there is a good used one I installed about 25 years ago due to the CV joint going bad on the original - it was flopping around loose and causing excess vibration. I might be mistaken but my recollection is that I was able to just pull the old shaft out and push the replacement into place without removing the torque tube from the differential. (Those bolts sure look like they haven't been disturbed in 57 years.) Now the shaft is stuck and doesn't want to move either in or out of the tube so I was thinking it's stuck in the support bearing.

I'll have to take a closer look, maybe roll the rear axle out into the driveway to get a better look and better grip on the driveshaft than is possible under the car. Will have to do that anyway if the torque tube needs to be removed. Can't do it for a while though since I managed to throw my back out while working on the thing under the car. (I'm getting too old for the heavier jobs!)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/17/2022 at 7:28am
The center bearing stays on the shaft and is pulled out of the tube with it. There is a snap ring  holding the bearing onto the shaft. Though the TSM says "a snap ring and/or shoulder on the shaft" the illustration clearly shows the snap ring, and the six cylinder solid shafts clearly have it. The two piece tubular/solid V-8 shaft may not, as the tubular part is larger and may hold the bearing in place, no snap ring required. The tubular/solid shaft pull out in one piece, from the front (all the shafts pull out of the tube from the front only). I can't comment on how the tube/solid shaft is put together, it must come apart (press fit?) or the center bearing couldn't be removed.

I think you may have just got lucky when you put the tube in the first time, lining the coupler up with the pinion shaft splines perfectly. Rotating the rear axle might help though. The coupler is beveled on the inside of the end to facilitate getting on the pinion shaft.
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SensibleSpectaculars Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/17/2022 at 8:13am
I'm pretty sure I had to play around with the driveshaft a bit to line it up with the pinion when I installed it. Since the bearing comes out with the shaft it may be stuck if some rust formed around it inside the torque tube. It wouldn't take much to cause a problem and the thing has been sitting on jackstands in the garage like this for years. Maybe spraying some penetrating oil down the torque tube with an air gun and banging on the tube near the bearing might help free up the shaft.
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