Some torque tube comments

December 1, 2008 | By Richard Prince

Question:

I read with interest the September Mechanic On Duty letter “Updating a 1950 Chevy” mainly because I had one when I was in high school (class of ’63) and mine also was a 2-door Coupe Deluxe.

My comment is that using the old torque tube rear end might be a bigger job than you think.

The torque tube has only one U-joint and it is at the transmission. It was enclosed in a housing that bolted to the end of the transmission. I think Chevy was pretty much the last of the cars to use a torque tube and they discontinued use in ’54. After that, open drive shafts were used until the Corvette started using the torque tube concept again.

If you want to update to a newer transmission and use the torque tube, you will not only have to get the tube and internal shaft shortened (hopefully not lengthened) but also keep the proper end cap on the tube and the matching transmission housing will have to be duplicated on whatever transmission you use.

If I were doing this (and if you ever want to get rid of that car drop me a line) I would seriously consider using a rear end housing from a 1955 or later Chevy. You would have to watch the width but that way you can easily get a drive shaft fabricated with the proper U-joints on each end. If you end up tricking out the motor, you might find the old torque tube rear end is not up to the job. Back in the day, we ripped out a few when the motor was upgraded to a small block.

Anyway, it’s nice to find out that there still is a ’50 Chevy 2-door Coupe Deluxe out there.