My truck is a 1966 F250 Long wheel base with a 352 and a standard 3-spd tranny ("C" on the warranty label).

I went to replace the driveshaft/coupler support bearing only to find out that the bearing had apparently frozen up years ago, spinning on the shaft and had worn the coupler shaft down thus making it unusable. This was my Dad's truck and I guess he did not hear the squeal that the bearing must have been making all that time.

My search for a used coupler shaft has proven a failure (unless one of you guys have one you can part with). I THINK that per my '64-'72 MPAC manual the correct Ford part number is C7TZ-4817-AA. I managed to uncover the stenciled number on the shaft which is C5TA-4817-H. The shaft measures 33 1/16" x 2".

My question is whether or not some other shaft will fit, since I cannot locate the correct shaft? I see a few listed that are the same measured length, but I do not know if the splines ect. are the same.

Or, in the alternative, would I find a one-piece shaft, even if it was a 3" from a later model year that would fit up nicely? If so, how the heck would I determine the exact correct length or part number to search for?

If I cannot locate an alternative shaft then does anyone know of a driveshaft shop in the Anderson, SC or Greenville, SC area that could build me a shaft?

Thanks for your help!!

 

you may be better off to just go to a one-piece shaft. are there any big truck shops in your area? if so, they should be able to fab one up pretty easily, and without breaking the bank.

if you don't want to do the measuring yourself, you may even be able to drive the truck over and just let them do the whole thing.

 

I am not aware of any shops in my area that would handle such a job, although I have not yet talked to one machine shop that I know about that handles some pretty large commercial jobs....I am still looking.

Since there seem to be so many different driveshafts used by Ford over the mid to late 60's I thought that surely there would be another coupler shaft or a one-piece driveshaft from another long bed pickup application that would just bolt up....I assumed that it might be a 2.5" or 3" diameter shaft since it was spanning a longer distance, but would be the correct length and correct size to bolt up to the tranny yoke and Dana 60 differential using the same universal joints....I am probably dreaming.... but I thought that I should ask you guys since I know that there is not a problem that I could run into that has not been dealt with sucessfully by the members of the board....

 

true- i'm sure somebody will jump in with an application that will bolt up.
it just may be harder to find it than it would be to get a custom one made.