Hey guys. I got a used driveshaft for my 89 a couple years ago, it was the right length and price, so i didnt ask too many questions. Well last weekend I kinda toasted the ujoints in it. Removed the old ones, and decided to clean all the crud out of the yokes. This is what I found:



Does this mean the shaft was made in '69? Or is it just a random part number coincidence? Thanks for any insite!

 

Pretty sure that is just a random part number. Nothing to do with manufacturing date.

If you get on the Spicer website, likely you can trace that number down and it will list the size specs. Doubt it's lead to what it was made for, just sizing.

 

Where is the part number? No see um.

A driveshaft part number will include Ford basic number 4602 (or 4817 for a coupling shaft-rear driveshaft), but there were no Ford part numbers marked on parts after 1956, just casting or ID engineering numbers when applicable.

Dis-regard the F and you have a casting date of 3-28-1969.

 

Likely a driveshaft will have paint codes to determine what it's for. Never seen a part number on one, like any other typical part. The yoke number is just Spicers part number. If it did have a Ford number, it was a sticky tag that fell off many, many moons ago.

At least that is what I've gathered from seeing high end restorations on cars. Where all those little details mean everything.

 

Slip yokes, companion flanges came in cardboard boxes, had the part number printed on one side. Stick on labels were not used on these parts as they could fall off.

Driveshafts were shipped in boxes until the late 1970's, then they were placed in plastic bags.

A FoMoCo label on the bag had the part number and the name/address of the dealer who ordered it.

There is no Ford Car/Truck parts catalog reference for paint stripes marked on driveshafts as to what their applications are.

To determine what driveshaft is correct, it has to be looked up in application charts.

Parts catalog driveshaft length: Less the slip yoke, and is measured either from the splined end to the center of the U-joint eye, or center of eye to eye, if not a splined end.

 

I'm speaking of a complete driveshaft, like the one shown. The part number on the yoke was Spicers number, nothing to do with Ford. Someone made the shaft for Ford(maybe even Spicer themselves). The driveshaft itself would have a Ford part number denoting it's application. I would agree, the part would be boxed/bagged with number on the outside. Rarely have I seen a driveshaft with a specific part number permanently marked on it. I'm thinking a few of my newer trucks might have had some kind of paper sticky tag? Been a few years, but they would fall off in a short time and would be useless to try to track down. This of course is a factory dealing, not a replacement part and likely why it came with a sticky tag with a part number on it.

As far as a paint code, I'd like to find out why then it's such a big deal with restorations(like Shelby's or the like) that the shaft have specific paint code lines painted on them. It would have to denote something? Maybe not such as a replacement part, but a code for the factory to install the proper one. Maybe that is where the difference lies.

 

Shelby collectors are the most **** of all, worse than the numbers matching Chevy crowd. and Classic Car Club members.

All the Shelby records are still available, and there is a book put out by the club that lists every Cobra, GT40, GT350/500 assembled, where they were sold new, who owned them originally, and in many cases, who owns them now.

Been there, done that, once owned a 1965 GT350, the 5th assembled. It was a basket case, some idiot had taken it all apart, then stuck it in the garage and ignored it.

 

Hi BR,

To me, it looks like a "casting", or "forging" number. Produced by Spicer. Probably in Canada?

Since this forging was part of a greater assembly, and not available by itself, the number probably means nothing to anybody except Spicer, and the drive shaft assembly fabricator (Spicer? Ford? Or other?).

As thus, Ford parts books would have no need to catalog this forging number, since they would come up with their own part number for the entire driveshaft assembly.

It's entirely possible that a date has been incorporated as a portion of the forging number. NOT the exact date manufactured, but more than likely, the date the part was approved for manufacturing. What this means then, is that this particular forging could have been manufactured continuously over a period of 5, or 10, or 20 years or more, starting in 1969.

And, as others have surmised, it's entirely possible that the forging number has nothing to do with any date, it could just be a coincidence.

My opinion only, your mileage may vary.

Paul.

 

At the end of the Text sections in Ford Truck Parts Catalogs are Cross Reference lists: Manufacturer to Ford & Ford to Manufacturer part numbers.

There are 1000's of Spicer numbers marked on parts listed. Y'all give me a Spicer number, I'll give you the Ford part number.

 

So its safe to assume the F3-28-69 is just a casting date, not a part number or a manufacture date?

 

Yup. Nothing to do with Ford information.