Howard Boyle Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 (edited) I just rebuilt my 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air 235. In the process of putting it back in the car I can’t get the drive shaft over the cross member the engine rests on. The universal joint is about a quarter inch too long to fit over the cross member. It came apart fine. What is my problem. I have the wheels of the ground and the engine connected to the cross member. Should I disconnect the transmission from the cross member and see if I can pry on the bar to get some play to get the drive shaft over the cross member? Help! Edited April 4 by Howard Boyle Misspelling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Try unbolting the rear axle from the springs and sliding it back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramaton Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Maybe try raising the car in the center rear by the bumper or frame. Maybe when you stretch the springs out it might give you just enough clearance. I am not sure if it will work but it's worth a try before unbolting the rear end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Maybe you should have attached the front u-joint first and the rear u-joint last? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 9 minutes ago, marcapra said: Maybe you should have attached the front u-joint first and the rear u-joint last? Torque tube. No rear Universal. Is the u joint assembled or split? Normally you split the u joint to remove the rear or trans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 All I've worked on are Mopars, which have Hotchkiss drive. I knew Fords had torque tube, but didn't know about 50s Chevrolets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Boyle Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 23 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: Try unbolting the rear axle from the springs and sliding it back. I’ll give that a try. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Boyle Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 19 hours ago, Oldtech said: Torque tube. No rear Universal. Is the u joint assembled or split? Normally you split the u joint to remove the rear or trans. It’s split. It’s so close to going over the cross member. I’ll be at it again tomorrow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Boyle Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 Thanks to your kind advice I got it! I loosened the rear end bolts on the leaf springs and it gave me the room I needed to slip the drive shaft over the cross member. Thanks guys! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Glad to hear everything worked out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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