Torque Tube Gasket Kits

[Deve]

I had this REALLY bad leak at the torque tube connection to the transmission. Since I am not a fan of torque tubes, I asked my good friend Dave to give me some pointers. Concerning the 4 bolts that hold the Ball Housing to the transmission, I wasn't aware there should be some shimming going on there. Turns out that is why the gasket kit has more than one gasket in the kit for this. The ears on the Ball Housing need to be completely flat or maybe a degree or so slanted backwards so the housing can be very tight against the transmission. Then, you put on one gasket, bolt the ball housing on and see if you can rotate it with both hands but feel good resistance. If its too tight, put on another gasket. Too loose and the ears are bent forward too much. You want the ball housing to rotate with the truck as it moves down the road. A little flexibility is good, too much and it leaks. A new gasket kit makes a world of difference and for about $6 plus shipping at Rockauto.com, you really can't go wrong. The Fel-Pro part number for the gasket kit for a 1953 is ES 72843.