OK, check me on this one:

i have two driveshafts that i am trying to assemble a crew cab ZF5 4x4 (BW 4407, i.e. 96/97) manual shaft from. i plan to separate them both at the spline joint and swap ends - i think it will work, but maybe someone can confirm.

if i take the front section (back to the spline joint from the 97 ZF5 4x4 ECLB shaft i have and put it on the rear section of the 97 E4OD 4x4 CCLB shaft i have, will it then be a 97 ZF5 4x4 CCLB shaft? (hope i got all those abbreviations right? :-) )

or asked another way - is the carrier bearing in the same spot on ECLB and CCLB frames when measured from the front of the truck? i know the CC carrier bearing hangs down a little more, but i don't think that should make a huge difference in driveshaft length as long as its in the same location...

or asked another way - is it just the rear section of these 2 piece driveshafts that is different from EC to CC?

And as usual, THANKS!

 

I think it will work as long as they are both 4407 t-cases. To be sure, measure from the back of the t-case to the carrier on both your trucks now. They both have E4ODs, so if they measure the same from t-case to carrier, then what you're wanting to do with the drive shaft should work when you do the ZF swap.

 

i do know on the 2wd ECLB and CCLB, the front driveshafts have different length.. The ECLB is actually longer by about 3 inches..
But then again, not sure about the 4x4

 

Woods, why not take the white trucks driveshaft and have it professionally cut, welded and balanced?

 

thanks guys -

measuring it out is definitely the answer - I'll have to find time this weekend. and yep, both have 4407's

it would stand to reason that the 4x4 front half-shaft is different length as well - unless they moved the carrier bearing around. time for the tape measure...

Todd - cut/weld/balance is the fallback plan, but the cut/weld fee is like $75 at the local driveshaft place with the balance costing $250 - which includes new u-joints and spline. since I have a ZF5 4x4 ECLB shaft sitting in the barn now from when I was planning to put the ZF into the EC, I figure if I can save the $75 weld fee by swapping ends myself, I will. then i'll just have them balance and recondition it...


another, cheaper-still option is checking back at the local truck junk yard. I climbed under about a dozen F-superduty dump and stake-bodies last winter looking for my ECLB shaft without success, but maybe i'll have better luck finding a CCLB shaft in decent shape. their price was only $100/shaft.

of course, I need a ZF5 4x4 F350 front shaft as well now...

I wish I had known i'd be buying this F350 before I started gathering all these ZF-swap parts! most parts are usuable, but for me, the driveshaft-locating was the hardest and that's the part I get to do again :-)

 

Just a quick pet peeve

Reg cab(RC)
Supercab(SC)
Crewcab(CC)

CHEVY makes Extended cabs(EC)

As far as I know, NONE on the rear driveshafts are interchangeable from any different wheelbase trucks

The E40d is longer then the zf trans, making the driveshaft SHORTER on a E4OD equipped truck