Well I have looked in my early Ford manuals for the torques for 1940-48 rear axle nut and front wheel bearings without much luck. I have heard for the rear axle nut around 90-200 ft lbs, but thats a big variant. Does anyone have a true spec for this stuff? Thanks fellas.
Sounds like the spec for the rear axle nut should have been 190 to 200 ft/lbs. Make sure you get these to spec, or you'll be having a bunch of fun with removing hubs with broken keys. I don't remember the exact number of the spec on the fronts.
The service letters publishing this (circa '47-8) were in the V8 Times in 1995...the started at REALLYDAMNSCARY, like 200, and then were backed down a little bit in a followup letter. I've been looking for that issue for a few days...it is somewhere in the pile under the cat. I suspect that when they got to this level, the key was pretty well irrelevant tp proceedings and the three-legger puller was totally obsolete unless it had the Ford adaptor plate. Racers apparently lapped axle to hub to increase the effectiveness of the fit.
Hey thanks fellas, its funny how the specs vary. Kinda makes me think the old Ford service techs just got it nice and tight and that was that. Bruce, if you get a chance i'd like to know what those service manuals have to say.
Getting close to it...whole set is currently re-messed up for a project in which we xeroxed all the Dacid Cole articles and everything else good on '32's out of a gigantic run, really all except for the first few that had no tech. The Service letters are a real missing link...they effectively became the main update service for dealers after the Bulletins changed formats after '37, but they are not reproduced. Anybody for a road trip to Ford archives with a roll of dimes??
Nice and tight usetawas the spec for everything. Torque specs cme along slowly, starting with just engine parts. Probably the need to protect connecting rod fasteners from gorillas was the first need to occur to them... Ford produced series of custom wrenches for many fasteners on T's and A's, the 3Z and 5Z numbered ones...allegedly handle lengths were chosen to give some control. A good gorilla can still break anything, though. I have a A that last belonged to an Auburn University football player; everything he had touched was torqued to unfuckingbelievable!
mine is like 250ft pounds i read it on a post here awhile ago. the front's are just like any bearings (hand tight or slight drag).
Here's the info on the rear: I stop at 175 ft. lbs. http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/reartorq.htm For the front, I tighten nut so there is "zero play" and then back nut off to the nearest castellated slot where cotter key goes. Then check for play again. I redo a couple of times making sure the wheel turns feely with no drag or play.
The link that Jim provided doesn't work any longer but is listed here: https://web.archive.org/web/20170303080136/http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/reartorq.htm Posted by Nirvana June 13, 2002 at 7:19PM : I hate these senior moments!! I can't find my book with torque value of the axle nuts on a 40 stock rear end. 180 Lbs keeps ringing in the back of my emptyness, is this the correct value?? Thanks, might take her out for a spin this week-end after 3 years, if the wheels don't fall off first. Posted by JWL June 13, 2002 at 8:32PM : In Reply to: Torque value of axle nut posted by Nirvana from swd-pm1-007.inetnebr.com (209.50.13.147) on Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 7:19PM : 180 is on the low side, but will get you started before retorqing after the first drive. I use 220 and retorque weekly, on a rebuild, untill they stop moving. The spec sheets have varying values assigned to this connection. Posted by FlatV8 June 13, 2002 at 11:49PM : In Reply to: Re: Torque value of axle nut posted by JWL from 02-ocil-01f.dial.optilinkcomm.net (216.128.152.157) on Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 8:32PM : The 'V8 Times', Sept/Oct 98 Issue, pages 46 and 48, quotes several Ford Service Letters and later corrections. The final direction on tightening axle nuts reads: "tighten nut 356074-S to 200 to 220 foot pounds; then continue tightening to the next castellation providing final resultant torque does not exceed 275 foot pounds."
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