As I’ve related, the torque tube was most likely a casualty of axle wrap and the repeated twist up and twist down that fatigued the prior fix at almost exactly the same spot. Inspection clearly revealed a prior repair.
The first repair sandwiched the original tube between an inner sleeve and an outer tube. And it still failed.
Original riveted collar at top of photo. Repaired section at bottom.
Another feature of the Sheldon 201-D “pleasure axle” was a curious slot in the spring bracket that secured the axle to the suspension. The axle has a matching BUT SHORTER lug. This indicates that the designers INTENDED the axle to rotate a bit forwards and backwards when accelerating or braking. This confirms that axle wrap was acknowledged and somehow was NOT going to be a problem. This engineering presumption was profoundly mistaken. We know that the Sheldon “pleasure axle” was immediately replaced by a much more robust and heavily engineered axle & differential combination in the 1913 cars. Good riddance.
Rectangular slot in the bracket securing the axle to the suspension.
When the torque tube broke, it shifted all its weight and stiffness in the suspension to the drive shaft it was there to protect. The shaft bent. Not a lot, but a noticeable several hundred thousandths out of straight. I resolve this with help of fellow La Jolla Regional Group member Jay Watkins Sr. who supervised my use of his lathe to skim off a bit of the bendy bits at the pinion gear end. The remaining sway in the shaft was pushed back into shape by Jeff Helton’s crew at Oceanside Driveline. Our straightening job on their big lathe jig was easily the oldest driveshaft repair that they had seen in decades.
The driveshaft was not the only item to sustain damage. The sag produced by the break in the tube also forced the mis-alignment of the ring & pinion gears. This created chipped teeth and galled surfaces. If you look back at our servicing of the differential in January of 2017,(https://michiganmotorcar.com/gears-thrust-bearings-patience/ ) you can look at photos of the ring & pinion. While they were worn, and imperfect on some of the faces, they were not chipped or severely galled. That level of damage was new. So, where do you go and how much does it cost for a new ring & pinion? Again, I went back to my consulting group, the Jolly Boys of the La Jolla Regional Group of the Horseless Carriage Club of America. The discussion indicated that only one place in the western U.S. remained in business, namely, Industrial Sprocket & Gear, in Santa Fe Springs (a suburb of Los Angeles). On April 10, 2025, I took in my old gears and was told it would be $3850. to have new gears made to match the old ones (minus the wear & galling). Not cheap, but not crazy crazy expensive. Over the course of the next 2 months, a new ring & pinion were made. And thus began a saga that I’m sure was difficult for all involved, but most certainly ME. I just didn’t know it yet. Before anything else, I had to repair the torque tube so that the drive shaft could be inserted, the ring installed on the carrier and the pinion attached to the end of the driveshaft.
The fix for the original break (not MY break) in the torque tube had resulted in removal of a riveted cast steel collar, brazing in a new steel sleeve inside the existing original torque tube and extending that same inner sleeve into the forward most side of bell shaped front portion of the differential housing.
The old repair showing inner and outer sleeves surrounding the original torque tube.
As I contemplated the means to put the torque tube back together, I commenced building the bracketing that would be necessary to attach the Model T style radius rods to the axle tubes and the torque tube. I would make a collar with radius rod mounting holes for the front end of the torque tube and pinch brackets for the axle tubes.
Welded forward bracket for radius rods.
Forward radius rod bracket installed on torque tube.
With all the welding I was doing and about to do, it was time to upgrade my MIG welder. My old Millermatic 210 was holding up well, but was limited to MIG welding. I wanted to get greater control, and that required TIG capabilities, so I purchased a Miller Multimatic 220 machine which can do stick, MIG and TIG welding of steel and aluminum. The more I use it, the more I like it.
My new Miller Multimatic 220 welder. It is a remarkable machine.
I designed the axle brackets to be sturdy and not requiring a casting or machining. Instead, I decided to laminate multiple 1/4″ slices of steel together and clamp them to the axle tubes. All of these radius rod parts would be completely removable so the car could be returned to its original configuration, or could be easily replaced with a better stabilizing system at some future date. The bracket slices were designed in Fusion 360 and emailed to Send-Cut-Send for fabrication. Send-Cut-Send is an amazing shop for fabricators. They take your CAD design, plug it into their laser cutter machine and produce your part. Then the parts are packaged and quickly shipped to you. And the pricing is remarkable too.
Seventeen 1/4″ bracket slices for under $150., in less than a week. Wow.
Stacked bracket slices getting pinch tabs welded on with my TIG torch.
The rear radius rod brackets mounted on the axle tube. Note the shiny area between the bracket and the wheel. That is where the springs mount.
Next project — weld up the torque tube.