Dry Fit your parts

sunnyorm

sunnyorm

Senior Member
i just finished installing my transmission to universal joint to driveshaft. after i had the parts together with the gasket sealer, and ready to line up and bolt up, well i discovered that the transmission bearing retainer bolt holes which came on it , did not line up with the inner and outer universal joint covers, still not sure what bearing retainer fits, as the service notes give only 2 kinds; 1 puts holes 2 17/32 apart, the other puts them 2 3/4" apart.

live and learn:(
 
You need to take your trans bearing retainer when shopping for the ujoint housings to match up the holes. There was a change in the bolt pattern , that's why the gaskets have a couple slotted holes to cover both. Hope you don't have to disassemble to far to get the retainer out. Good luck
 
You are not the first person to step into that trap. Henry Ford changed the bolt patern of that U-joint assembly in order to confuse and confound the next hundred years of Model A enthusiasts. It usually happens when someone installs a different transmission than the one they took out. The trick then is to move the bearing retainer from the removed transmission to the new one. The discovery is usually made after a person has hooked up the spring shackles and connected all the brake rods.

You cannot go by what year the car is because someone years ago could have installed an assembly from a different year. The two clamshells, the inner housing, and the bearing retainer that bolts onto the rear of the transmission all have to mach up so that all six bolt holes of the U-coupler line up.

Tom Endy
 
I have gotten it tne habbit of putting them on a piece of wire as a set whenever I dissassemble. Saves problems like this later. Last count I had 17 sets in the box of such parts. Rod
 
There were three different rear bearing retainers made the I can figure out. Early AR 1928. Later 1928/29. These had the same bolt pattern. 1930/31 had the later bolt pattern.
 
I had a collection of four different types of rear bearing retainer at one time. The very early were forged and have little bumps in the corners. The later earlys were cast and without the bumps. Both still have the off-set bolt pattern. The third has the symetrical bolt pattern, but has a large opening where the bearing fit. The forth has the symetrical bolt pattern, but also has a much smaller opening at the bearing. I think I read somewhere the smaller opening was to better control oil leakage. There may be more than the four.

Tom Endy
 
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