On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:07:19 -0700 (PDT), the infamous engineman
scrawled the following:

Ford model T driveshafts may be a little hard to find these days.
Actually you can use Ford driveshafts made up to 1948.
They were solid bars about 1" in diameter and operated in a housing.
This housing, called a torque tube resisted the torque reaction of the
rear end housing, rather than depending on the springs.
I wish Fords were that well built these days.
I have used these driveshafts for such things as unscrewing the chuck
from a 17" lathe after it had been on for about 30 years, also prying
the tracks back on a caterpillar.
They are very difficult to bend and I've never seen one break.
I have made a lot of parts feom the steel, it can be machined with
difficulty as is and will oil harden to file hardness.

I had a section of green Chrysler torsion bar which i used as a pry
bar for years. It somehow didn't make the move with me to Oregon.

It would spring just a hair with me on the end and a about a ton of
weight leveraged at 2". I sorely miss it. It would have made a good
digging bar in my current work.

--
No matter how cynical you are, it is impossible to keep up.
--Lily Tomlin