31 rear axle rebuild

[Ed in Maine]

I am mounting the torque tube to the banjo. I will use a gasket at this point. There is a cutout in the gasket that is supposed to be at the bottom. Actually, because of the hole spacing, this cutout is slightly off the center at the bottom. What is the purpose of this cutout? There is no drain hole in the banjo flange and the only flow path is the thickness of the gasket on the steel flange of the torque tube. The only flow path would be back into the pinion gear.
Thank you for your comments, Ed

 

[8EL]

Ed,
I think that was done to index the gasket, cutout to the bottom. The bottom two bolt hole spacing's appear closer together than do the other four.

 

[Terry Burtz Calif]

This gasket was not used in Model A production and is not in any of the original parts books.

The torque tube clamps the double pinion race in place and needs to have a metal-to-metal fit.

Instead of a gasket, apply some sealant to the interface between the torque tube and the banjo housing to prevent a leak.