Transmission U-Joint
- Thread starter eec2
- Start date
pat in Santa Cruz
Well-known member
the one that is the tightest
Joe K
Well-known member
The left hand spicer yoke type one is made by Dana-Spicer today and is totally sealed. They're normally applied on modern cars without the benefit of an enclosure as in directly exposed to the road dirt, water, salt, whatever.
It has replaceable parts and with a pair of snap ring pliers and a pin-punch can be disassembled and all the wearing parts replaced.
The right hand "ring" U-joint is what most Model A cars up to about late 1930 came with. It requires enclosure in the spherical U-joint cover, needs grease, cannot be rebuilt without extreme levels of technical savvy (and a machine shop) and has a tendency to become out of balance in service (due to irregular wear tending to cause the ring to take to one side - and staying there.)
The Spicer type coming pre-greased (and for certain exposed applications has grease zerks applied) technically you need not put grease in the U-joint sphere with this U-joint. In real life a dollop is probably enough just to coat everything inside and prevent rust, and won't unbalance the assembly in use.
It was enough of an advantage for Ford to continue to use the Spicer type up to the present day.
I still have a ring type on my truck - but this is the best of about 4 ring types I had available at the time I mechanically restored my Model A. Were I to build/rebuild another Model A I would use a Spicer type without question.
Joe K
It has replaceable parts and with a pair of snap ring pliers and a pin-punch can be disassembled and all the wearing parts replaced.
The right hand "ring" U-joint is what most Model A cars up to about late 1930 came with. It requires enclosure in the spherical U-joint cover, needs grease, cannot be rebuilt without extreme levels of technical savvy (and a machine shop) and has a tendency to become out of balance in service (due to irregular wear tending to cause the ring to take to one side - and staying there.)
The Spicer type coming pre-greased (and for certain exposed applications has grease zerks applied) technically you need not put grease in the U-joint sphere with this U-joint. In real life a dollop is probably enough just to coat everything inside and prevent rust, and won't unbalance the assembly in use.
It was enough of an advantage for Ford to continue to use the Spicer type up to the present day.
I still have a ring type on my truck - but this is the best of about 4 ring types I had available at the time I mechanically restored my Model A. Were I to build/rebuild another Model A I would use a Spicer type without question.
Joe K
Indiana A. Lover
Senior Member
Could some one be kind enough to give me the part number of the good u-joint. I need to replace mine thank you Don in Indiana
Joe K
Well-known member
A7090 at Snyders. $95.
Ebay has some good looking units in the $80 to $90 range. Search "Model A Universal."
Napa and AutoZone don't list these under Model A listings but there may be an interchange. My experience with "mix & match" conversion Universals for a Model AA overdrive indicates that the neighborhood auto parts house pricing is on a par (or slightly higher) compared to the Model A parts houses.
Joe K
Bruce Lancaster
Member Emeritus
Interchange is Ford V8 cars through 1948.