What's the best driveshaft repair?

[Slickster]

48 P15, high frequency vibration in your seat at higher speeds, has the old non typical u-joint style, repairable? Better to get new shaft built? What have you all done to make it smooth?  Thanks!

[Sniper]

I've taken them to a driveshaft shop and had them trued and balanced before.  But that was in San Diego and in the early 90's and also back when AB had all the parts to rebuild them.

[Slickster]

Saw repair kit for $263...ouch....new shaft with new style u joints $450...

[allbizz49]

http://www.driveshaftspecialist.com/Left-Column/Antique-Classics.html

[Frank Elder]

7 hours ago, Slickster said:

Saw repair kit for $263...ouch....new shaft with new style u joints $450...

When you can't diy its pay to play......unfortunately the Franklin is the new Jackson.?

['41 Fat Bottom Girl]

Just having mine done now.

For my old style ball and trunnion drive shaft joints on the '41, I ordered two kits from Andy B (to do both ends) $205 including shipping to AZ. Of course if you have to replace one or two housings, that would add to the cost. If you need housings, shop around. There are some on Ebay and others.

My u-joint housings were fine, no wear; I had replaced one worn housing when I took them apart to inspect them about 5,000 miles ago. I too had some recent vibration above 45 mph or so, so while I have the tranny out I decided to have the shaft balanced and rebuilt in case that was a contributor to the vibration. Having new pins pressed in and the shaft balancing is going to cost another $100 or so.

The kits do come with Boot and clamps.

The rubber boots are a little bit of a struggle to install through the housings, but with some lube and patience it certainly can be done. I have done it and it's not too bad at all.

Here is a link that does a good job explaining the process.

Hope it helps.

https://www.classiccarrestorationclub.com/video/how-to-rebuild-a-ball-and-trunnion-drive-shaft-008786/

[knuckleharley]

13 hours ago, Slickster said:

Saw repair kit for $263...ouch....new shaft with new style u joints $450...

Well,the consolation (?) is that $450 ain't what it used to be. I remember buying a new Ford Fairlane Cobra Jet with the 428 and 4 speed when I came back from VN in 1969. Paid $2450 for it new with a 3 year warranty. The damn insurance cost me more each month than the car payment did.

It would probably cost you more than 2500 to buy a rebuildable Cobra Jet block now.

[Doug&Deb]

Before spending that much money on rebuild kits I’d recommend buying new boots and try disassembly and regreasing. It’s easy and it may cure the problem.

[jhm1mc13]

I wasted a lot of money trying to stay with the original.   My new u joint shaft is perfect.

[Adam H P15 D30]

I bought a new driveshaft from Denny's Driveline, about 450.00 shipped to my door.  

[Frank Elder]

52 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

Well,the consolation (?) is that $450 ain't what it used to be. I remember buying a new Ford Fairlane Cobra Jet with the 428 and 4 speed when I came back from VN in 1969. Paid $2450 for it new with a 3 year warranty. The damn insurance cost me more each month than the car payment did.

It would probably cost you more than 2500 to buy a rebuildable Cobra Jet block now.

$2,450 with inflation of todays dollar is around $17,150 smacks in todays worthless lucre..........

['41 Fat Bottom Girl]

 

The proper length shaft and the use of cross type u-joints, phased, is a no-brainer. If you are using the original tranny and rear end: 

I am curious as to how you adapt to the flanges at the rear end, and at the parking brake drum at the transmission.

And how is a similar telescoping action of the original shaft ends provided to compensate for rear end travel? Do you lose the parking brake and add a sliding coupling at the tranny output shaft? How are those addressed and were there any associated additional costs? 

Sorry if I am missing something that should be obvious here.

Thanx for the education...

[knuckleharley]

27 minutes ago, Frank Elder said:

$2,450 with inflation of todays dollar is around $17,150 smacks in todays worthless lucre..........

Sounds about right. It just makes you THINK you have a lot of money if you have 17 grand floating around in your wallet these days. The reality is it buys very little,and what it does buy is junk mostlhy made in China by slave labor.

[Sam Buchanan]

16 minutes ago, '41 Fat Bottom Girl said:

 

The proper length shaft and the use of cross type u-joints, phased, is a no-brainer. If you are using the original tranny and rear end: 

I am curious as to how you adapt to the flanges at the rear end, and at the parking brake drum at the transmission.

And how is a similar telescoping action of the original shaft ends provided to compensate for rear end travel? Do you lose the parking brake and add a sliding coupling at the tranny output shaft? How are those addressed and were there any associated additional costs? 

Sorry if I am missing something that should be obvious here.

Thanx for the education...

 

There was a thread a year or so ago (which I can't find) where I posted a shopping list for the parts needed to build a driveshaft for our cars that is a bolt-in replacement. The necessary adapters are available that bolt to the flanges on the transmission and diff, a seamless conversion. Seems the total cost was somewhere around $400.

[kencombs]

30 minutes ago, '41 Fat Bottom Girl said:

 

The proper length shaft and the use of cross type u-joints, phased, is a no-brainer. If you are using the original tranny and rear end: 

I am curious as to how you adapt to the flanges at the rear end, and at the parking brake drum at the transmission.

And how is a similar telescoping action of the original shaft ends provided to compensate for rear end travel? Do you lose the parking brake and add a sliding coupling at the tranny output shaft? How are those addressed and were there any associated additional costs? 

Sorry if I am missing something that should be obvious here.

Thanx for the education...

Browse around here:

https://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/c461_slip_yokes_for_spline_and_slip_style_driveshafts.htmlhttps://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/c836_splines_for_use_with_slip_yoke.html

 

and here:

 

lots of info and pics of the solutions available

Edited December 17, 2020 by kencombs

[Sam Buchanan]

12 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

There was a thread a year or so ago (which I can't find) where I posted a shopping list for the parts needed to build a driveshaft for our cars that is a bolt-in replacement. The necessary adapters are available that bolt to the flanges on the transmission and diff, a seamless conversion. Seems the total cost was somewhere around $400.

 

Found it....from this thread:

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/54484-whats-the-best-driveshaft-repair/?tab=comments#comment-582634

 

Scroll down several post to where I broke out the components needed.

 

================================

 

Just for grins I ran searches for the parts listed in the invoice above. They are readily available and listed below are some (not necessarily the least expensive) of the links I found (in same order as listed on invoice):

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-2-349.html

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-1310X.html

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-3-8001kx?seid=srese1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Jnjv8qK4wIVkp-fCh34jQYOEAQYASABEgIxHvD_BwE

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-28-437.html

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-40-1521

 

$318.83 + tubing + labor

 

The tubing should be a stock item at any driveshaft shop:

Edited December 17, 2020 by Sam Buchanan

[48ply1stcar]

I had one made when I had a 2000 Cherokee rear end installed.  Check out a Thread I started on rear end swaps there is some info on drive shafts.  I've owned my 48 for 52 years and I couldn't justify staying with the stock drive shaft with my rear end upgrade.  Eventhough I actually never have any problem with the driveshaft.

 

[Adam H P15 D30]

Flange yoke: https://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p2471_dana_spicer_2_2_349_dodge_flange_yoke_replacement_for_old_de.html

Driveshaft I ordered with the slip yoke:  https://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p9619_1310_series_3_inch_with_spline_and_slip_driveshaft_for_chevy.html

 

My driveshaft ended up being 59 3/4 inches and Dennys wanted to upgrade me to a 3.5 inch tube.  After I spoke with them and explained the HP and Torque the driveshaft would be transmitting, they agreed to stay with the 3 inch tube.

['41 Fat Bottom Girl]

A wealth of info and great explanations. A couple weeks too late for me to consider the driveshaft conversion as I'm into my rebuild a few hundred $-but this is good help for others, I'm sure. Thanx for the details!

Merry Christmas, all.

[Slickster]

Great stuff...thanks, I'll remove shaft, lube it up, if it doesn't cure the vibration, upgrade makes the most sense....crazy how quickly the parts bill can add up....I figure I could have 5-8 thou more in this thing than it is worth when I'm done

[Sam Buchanan]

If we do much work at all on these old cars we'll have more invested than market value.

 

But that doesn't bother me......

 

[maddmaxx1949]

24 minutes ago, Slickster said:

Great stuff...thanks, I'll remove shaft, lube it up, if it doesn't cure the vibration, upgrade makes the most sense....crazy how quickly the parts bill can add up....I figure I could have 5-8 thou more in this thing than it is worth when I'm done

I hear that one. Paid 550$ for mine a few years ago and spending 500$ on just the driveshaft makes me ponder my life choices. Always worth the looks and memories in my opinion. But I'm just a young man, hopefully some of the wiser gentlemen on this forum have the same attitude. 

[Sniper]

There are times when I look at an item I am thinking about getting for my Cambridge and I think of how much tha tpart is in comparison to what I paid for the whole car and I go catatonic, lol.

 

Then I get over it.  I've probably already paid more in parts for the thing than I paid to buy it and I have a core 230 coming too.

['41 Fat Bottom Girl]

Great pic, Sam! Those are the moments that shine.

I never want to add up all the parts costs, like you guys say it is definitely more than I paid for the car in '96! And more than it's worth.

Typical to look at an anticipated $100 improvement and spending three times that or more before it's done.

Then you get in it to drive somewhere and it doesn't matter. And the smells of old iron, mohair if you still have it, a hint of oil and a warm engine. Gives me nostalgia of simpler times and a reminder of the great people that came before us.

Boys and girls, what a wonderful sickness it is to be motorheads. And we are world wide.   

[Bryan]

On 12/17/2020 at 1:46 PM, Sam Buchanan said:

 

Found it....from this thread:

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/54484-whats-the-best-driveshaft-repair/?tab=comments#comment-582634

 

Scroll down several post to where I broke out the components needed.

 

================================

 

Just for grins I ran searches for the parts listed in the invoice above. They are readily available and listed below are some (not necessarily the least expensive) of the links I found (in same order as listed on invoice):

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-2-349.html

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-1310X.html

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-3-8001kx?seid=srese1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Jnjv8qK4wIVkp-fCh34jQYOEAQYASABEgIxHvD_BwE

 

https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-28-437.html

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-40-1521

 

$318.83 + tubing + labor

 

The tubing should be a stock item at any driveshaft shop:

I'll probably go this route with my P24 Dodge with Fluid Drive.  I'd rather pay $100-200 over for normal work & parts than get "shafted" by the oh so rare specialty stores. Only might use something different than the 2-2-349. Seems strange with rectangular ear piece.   Maybe if they come back in stock something like this.. https://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p12385_5259801_flange_yoke_replacement_for_old_dodge_detroit_pot_bo.html