Grease clam shell 47 Ford

[bill h]

how do you know when the u joint cavity is full. If you put a tube of corn grease in it on assembly. And it is sealed properly and it doesn't leak why would you keep adding grease every once and a while. It has to go somewhere ( like a blown seal in the torque tube or are not adding to much. Just a thought.

[Clem Clement]

Remove the speedo gear thingee. Pump in Corn Head grease until it shows up there.

[edhd58]

maybe I am reading this wrong but I thought the grease on the clam shell because the two parts slide on each other. and for that you only need couple squirts of grease.

[flatheadmurre]

Originally Posted by edhd58

maybe I am reading this wrong but I thought the grease on the clam shell because the two parts slide on each other. and for that you only need couple squirts of grease.

The u-joint itself and the bearing needs some grease to...

[rotorwrench]

I don't know if the u-joint housing would hold a whole tube of JD/CH grease. The inner housing cover has a hole in it that corresponds to the lubricator fitting location on the outer clam shell part so it should be able to go in there and get into the U-joint inner housing. What ever is excess will either go out the rear into the drive torque tube or sneak past the bearing closure on the rear main shaft bearing. The torque tube bell also gets lubricated in the same operation.

[bill h]

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Thanks for the answers. What I am trying to find out is after the clam shell is full how often do you have to and more corn grease. I know a few pumps of grease will lube the two shells but I don' t want to over fill the shell or have it under full as to not lube the u joint. If it does not leak it should stay full or will it work its way down the tube. Can the turtle for the speedo be removes from under the car. If it can should I take it off every time I grease it and check there for grease for coming out. I lost one u joint and when I took it apart I don't think there was enough grease in it. Just thinking ahead to prevent this problem again. Thanks for help. Bill

[19Fordy]

Bill, If your clamshell doesn't have a visible leak I would suggest checking it once a year by removing the grease fitting on the bottom of the clamshell and inspecting. I do admit I never checked it for 10 or 15 years prior to installing a new clamshell seal. Universal joint was fine. However, I did add another homemade grease fitting to the top of the clamshell that is accessible from inside the car to make checking and filling easy as it is just above the floor mat.It has a red plastic cap in the photo. Keep the zerk fitting finger tight so you can unscrew it and peek inside. Refill to top of of fitting and you're good to go. Also, keep the stock fitting on bottom of clamshell for filling, if preferred..
Yes the "turtle" can be removed from under the car but it's a bit tedious. There is a thin paper gasket. Removing the transmission cover makes it a lot easier. Of course, if your building a concourse restoration, you wouldn't do this.

[Planojc]

I just did this yesterday, pumped CH grease until it came out the turtle opening. If you pump too much grease with the turtle still on, it can end up in the transmission.

[bill h]

Thanks that's what I'll do this time. The reason I'm checking this out is when I changed the clutch a few years ago I packed the cavity and then added more with a grease gun. A couple of years later I had transmission problems and when I pulled out the tranny I was surprised that there was not that much grease there. To be safe maybe once a year or so I'll pell the turtle. Thanks again

[David J]

Originally Posted by edhd58

maybe I am reading this wrong but I thought the grease on the clam shell because the two parts slide on each other. and for that you only need couple squirts of grease.

You do have it right .

Factory spec for the u- joint is 4 oz . Calls for " soda soap grease " but I use SAE 140 in the u-joint , tranny , rear and steering box . This on 33-34 cars but pretty much the same u-joint on yours . The key to the different version of soda soap grease for the u-joint is tallow as the main thickener . Like old time water pump grease this melts at the touch .

BTW dropping point on CHG is 450* .

You mention you have no leaks so you should be able to do this .

Easy to monitor by visible leaks and checking your rear to see if the fluid level rises . Your tranny will slowly add fluid to the u-joint and a couple shots of grease whenever you grease the car will help the clam shell and the cork-felt wiper in the outer clamshell .

This has been discussed MANY times and the pack it full followers are very persistent .

What happens when you have this cavity packed full and you start driving the car ? The u-joint IS going to make room for itself to spin and grease doesn't compress well . I recall posts about trannys full of greasy sludge and even one poster that had the baffle in front of the rear tranny bearing bent slightly forward . This made for a serious leak . How many driveshaft seals has this method blown out ?!!?

Again factory spec is 4 oz .

Do as you see fit but this is my $.02 worth .

[19Fordy]

Thank you David for that "factory spec." and advice. As another point of info. when oily lubricant runs down inside torque tube it will dissolve the rubber cushion around the drive shaft center bearing. 1st photo shows dissolved cushion and if you look closely you can see the shape of the bearing. 2nd photo shows center bearing with most of the "glop" removed.
3rd photo shows NOS center bearing.

[David J]

Bad driveshaft seals = MESS .

If you want to use a liquid lube in the u-joint the driveshaft seal [ installed the proper direction ] , both clam gaskets and the turtle gasket need to be GOOD . The wiper - felt , cork or 0-ring should be good also but 4 0z is well below that level .

[rotorwrench]

The U-joint generally would get a good dip in lube at start of rotation but centrifugal force will force solids out in a radial direction. Liquids will have a constant shower of the stuff going on in there. The thixotropic type is somewhere in between the two extremes.

Sodium salts soap was a thickener to make a form of grease when mixed with gear lube. It isn't common now days to find such simple non-toilet type soaps. Here is a link that explains most of the thickener soaps used to make grease. https://www.solverchem.com/articles/...itives/details

[19Fordy]

rotorwrench:
That was really an informative article.
Thanks for posting it.

[Tim Ayers]

I've been thinking about this since I'll be assembling one very soon. Is there any reason why the 1/2 of the clam shell with the zerk can't be mounted so the zerk fitting is facing down to make it easier to get grease in there?

[George/Maine]

I put the zerk up when floor was up, but it should be facing down easy to grease.
I don,t think much grease is needed, but if the trans is up to full level and a shot of grease often will work fine. If you have a road oiler check trans often.

[19Fordy]

What's a road oiler?

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

What's a road oiler?

I assumed a leaky trans.

[19Fordy]

Thanks Tim, I "get it" now.
(The dark (drip) streak running down the center of your lane.)

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Thanks Tim, I "get it" now.
(The dark (drip) streak running down the center of your lane.)

Yep

[Talkwrench]

You don't need to go overboard with grease it will be getting oil from the trans. If it was such a big issue they would have put a grease fitting for the roller bearing at the end of the drive shaft.