Old Ford pics

[CobraJoe]

[RICH MUISE]

I don't think I've ever seen whitewalls inside and out.
I guess that middle picture shows a torque tube setup I've heard talked about. I have no clue what that's about.....I'm assuming the drive "shaft" is inside the outer tube??, and obviously (or not), the outer tube does not rotate

[Swank]

I don't think I've ever seen whitewalls inside and out.
I guess that middle picture shows a torque tube setup I've heard talked about. I have no clue what that's about.....I'm assuming the drive "shaft" is inside the outer tube??, and obviously (or not), the outer tube does not rotate

This guy, Matt, has been building a version of a model T pretty much from the ground up, he talks about the torque tube for a second around the 3:30 mark.

https://youtu.be/FiVXXvWgJbs

[Tom S]

I guess that middle picture shows a torque tube setup I've heard talked about. I have no clue what that's about.....I'm assuming the drive "shaft" is inside the outer tube??, and obviously (or not), the outer tube does not rotate

At your age you've never had a pre-'49 Ford?! I'm shocked!
Yes, the drive shaft is inside the torque tube. There is a pic of a pre-'49 Ford rearend, torque tube and drive shaft here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-1937-1938-1939-1940-Ford-Rear-Axle-Assembly-Driveshaft-Tube-OEM-Parts/153002273771?hash=item239fa56beb:g:a60AAOSwdcZa5eN5:rk:1:pf:0

I can tell you from experience that the stock early Ford rear stabilizer/radius rods alone will not hold up to the torque of big block Ford FE power on a hot rod with a more modern open u-joint driveshaft.
Under hard acceleration they will easily bend. Might even end up destroying the driveshaft & bustin' half the tailshaft portion off of a T10 four speed trans.
 
Torque tubes on pre-'49 Fords is what keeps the rear axle from twisting under acceleration & braking.

[hemidave]

 Aquasco

[CobraJoe]

[Ecode70D]

Rich
   What Swank and Tom were referring to is all true.  There is one more part to that story.  If you wanted to replace the clutch or flywheel in one of those pre 1949 Fords, you had to remove the rear end or take out the engine.  Honestly sometimes it is easier to remove the engine and leave the tranny in place instead of reaching
up there and dealing with that messy torque tube connection behind the tranny.
    Believe me you didn't miss anything in not fooling with those 48 and down Fords torque tubes.
     Back in the day , they did have some tires with whitewalls on both sides.   Jay

[Tom S]

Rich ... If you wanted to replace the clutch or flywheel in one of those pre 1949 Fords, you had to remove the rear end or take out the engine.  Honestly sometimes it is easier to remove the engine and leave the tranny in place instead of reaching
up there and dealing with that messy torque tube connection behind the tranny. ...

Yeah, definitely easier to remove the engine to replace a clutch or flywheel.  I sure don't remember it being any problem  with the torque tube to trans connection but getting the rearend out without first knowing that you'd need a spring spreader was a different matter.
After snapping a rear axle I had my 1st car jacked up & propped up so high on some pretty shaky blocking that it's a wonder it didn't fall on me.  Still couldn't get the rear spring to clear it's mount. Even after I learned that I needed a spring spreader to go between the spring shackles to flatten the spring out I didn't know where to get one & had no money to get it even if I found one.
I did have the engine in & out of my 'ol '47 Ford a couple times.  Last time it was to pull the '47 mill & put in about a 1952 Flatty out of a dump truck. It ran much stronger & the distributor was way easier to get to.  I read later that those big truck Flattys came from the factory with a relieved block. Cool!
Engine R & R was a snap compared to pulling the rearend.

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks for the schooling, and no I never had an older one that had the torque tube. I had a 32 Ford Cabriolet and a 34ish (?) Ford sedan delivery, both had 9" rears with GM powerplants, both bought as project cars I never did anything with. Other than that, mid fifties or newer. From the sounds of it, and the way I "broke parts" back in my teens, I'm sure glad I didn't.

[CobraJoe]

Here's the other end of that pic:

[hemidave]

'59 ragtop

[djfordmanjack]

fantastic pics all over !
that poor 59 'vert in the snow...
loving the 46 sedan with the black rear and www front tire.
37 and 38s are such underrated cars amongst Ford enthusiasts. they are slick and pretty.
back then, I think the torque tubes weren't that bad of an idea. first the U joint is fully covered and lubricated, and then it put the pushing force of the rear axle directly into the stiffest point of car, the transmission cradle and center X member. remember how Ford built those early cars so flexible on purpose, and a different setup would have placed the driving force of rear wheels in the soft and flexible rear part of chassis and body. not so good. Building a hotrod from a pre 48 mostly sees the frame boxed and things become different. Jay's 9" open drive/longitudinal leaf spring setup in our 34 is a real charm and easy to maintain.

[CobraJoe]

[hemidave]

  STUDENT DRIVER

[CobraJoe]