FYI, the correct Ball Seat Repair Kit for the front driveshaft's double cardan in 1999 and early 2000 trucks is either one of these:

Spicer 211009X
Neapco 2-9203

The kit should contain parts that look like this:

 

care to share the source of the document ?

from the part numbers it appears to be a ford document but not one I am familiar with.

concerning part numbers, 4635 is the correct ford base part number. that number will not get you the correct ujoint for your application however. that number will get a ford employee ( mechanic or parts counter ) the correct place to drill down to the prefix and sub fix to get the application specific part number, but even then they typically scan the vin barcode and the computer tells the tech the correct 4635 joint needed.

none of which does the average DIY consumer any good without access to the Ford computer system. DIY consumer guy is sorta screwed on that deal. ( for now )

to make matters worse, spicers data base is similar in that it will list all the joints used on the platform even if it does not apply to your specific applications.

this complicates mater when you walk into lets say autozone and ask for 2001 ford 7.3 Excursion rear ujoint and their system which gets its info from the spicer data base will list the correct ujoint as ones that were never used on a excursion but were used on some superduty of that era.

bottom line is if you are not well versed in spicer ujoint knowledge you have to measure to get the correct part and even then measuring is still best.

like the ford part number 4635 the spicer part number of lets say 1410 is only the series number, from there you have to pick which family or type of joint you want and there is more then just greaseable or non-greasable. (which is really more about strength then it is the ability to service them with a zerk fitting.) there are also the choice of better tolerances, longer services life, coated body for corrosion resistance and even better 4340 alloy with through hardening and cryo freezing for extreme strength.

the more you know about ujoints the more you realize how little you actually know about ujoints

 

I received these documents (Ford and Spicer) from a friend of mine a while back when I asked for his advice on the U-joints. I cannot say for certain where they came from, but like you they looked legit to me and I took him at his word because I had no reason to doubt what he said or sent me. I do know for a fact he had at least 2 versions of Ford service manuals in his possession. Perhaps he will post up stating the source if he feels inclined to do so.

This statement is the entire reason for this thread... Thank you again for doing a "foot stomp" while restating that measuring is the only way to be sure when you are doing the work yourself. If the driveshaft goes to a shop, well then it is on them to figure it out.

I agree 100%... This is the reason why my truck is still up in the mountains at a friends house instead of at my home... Lesson learned and I try not to beat myself up too much about it because it is a 1st world problem. Although, I miss my truck dearly and have a boxes of supplies (including one with yellow tape) on my garage workbench screaming for the truck to come home soon.

 

personally i blame spicer for all the confusion in the aftermarket, first off it is only recently they have shown a slight concern for the DIY guy, their mentality is big business and centered around OEM but given they are the inventors of most parts associated with axles and drive train systems the rest of the mfgs and industry had to follow the lead to compete. the die was cast at that point, old school parts counter guys had vast knowledge and experience as it was a viable career, along comes the internet and now everyone and their brother is capable of ordering a part via a cell phone anywhere anytime from amazon, problem is spicer is stuck in the dark ages with a legacy system and a ivory tower full of MBA graduates who have never had grease under their fingernails. when was the last time you saw an autozone employees with a set veneer calipers measuring a bearing journal ? that used to happen daily because it was the process.

( funny but serious, having worked with them back in Detroit you would be surprised by even their dress code, for such a blue collar product they are , lets call it a starched white collar company. very snazzy looking dress code )

 

I really don’t know my u-joints as well as the Dana/Spicer Powertrain shop does. For $100 I drop it off and get wings across the street at Hooters. Am I a bad person for not spending more time with them?

 

nope, i routinely send all my shafts out to my drive line guy. only time it bites you is when you have to DIY and then just remember to measure because odds are the parts store guy or internet is going to get it wrong.

 

what do you know, its not like your the guy who built a 40 spline dana 60 before they were cool

 

Do you recommend any other shops when dealing with driveshafts or U-joints other than https://venturestruckparts.com/ ?

There are a couple out there that have been recommend a few times on the FTE, but another recommendation for future readers cannot hurt.

 

I had great luck in the past in heavier duty off road applications with highangle driveline https://www.highangledriveline.com/
his stuff iis probably overkill for our stock applications
https://www.highangledriveline.com/f-350.html

 

I cannot remember where I saw it on here, but apparently Driveshaft Specialist Inc out of San Antonio TX is a good place to go as well.

Driveshaft Specialist Inc

 

My go-to driveshaft shop here in MN is Minnesota Driveline Inc.

 

cool, ha. Nobody had ever done it before, that was the first one. now that is pretty much standard issue.
i see parts laying around in guys scrap bins that took us a year to get a prototype to work. pretty crazy how far we have come in 20 years.

 

probably, but that is still all i run, even on my Ex. would not let anybody else touch my shaft

 

it sure as hell is

 

@KubotaOrange76 offers some good advice here. I'd adhere to it.

If there is an "SPL-xx" (where xx is a variable number based on u joint size) version of Spicer U joint that will fit the application, I would definitely choose the SPL version over the 4 numerical digit denoted Spicer 10 series joint.

For example, if given a choice between Spicer 10 series 1480, versus Spicer Life series SPL-55, I'd choose the SPL-55. If given a choice between Spicer 10 series 1550 versus Spicer Life series SPL-70, I'd definitely choose SPL-70.

Spicer claims that their 10 series journal cross is heat treated, case hardened, quality steel with double zerks.

Spicer claims that their Spicer Life series journal cross is cold formed (for higher strength and better wear resistance).

Over and above the 10 series, Spicer further adds the following features to the Spicer Life series

• Bearing Cups: Heat-treated for strength; Precision-Ground and Case-Hardened for durability.
• Thrust Washers: Added inside bearing cup to eliminate metal to metal friction and heat that can cause failure.
• Seal Guard: High-impact material ring between cross and cup for primary protection of seal.
• Premium Viton®* Multi-Lip Sealing Package: includes garter spring, secondary seal guard, and a needle bearing spacer to keep grease in and grit out.
• 2 Lubrication Options: Greaseable, or Service Free Lubed for Life

I do not know if there is an SPL equivalent for the 1350 and 1410 joints typically found in pickup trucks (I'm more familiar with chassis cabs), but if there is, that's what I'd go with.

There is also an SPX series (where "L" stands for Life, "X" stands for Extreme) of u joint that Spicer markets to the aftermarket rock crawler crowd. The SPX doesn't even have needle bearings to wear or get munched up. Instead, the cross is enlarged with fatter diameter trunnion posts that themselves are the bearing surface. But the cross is made of SAE-4340 Nickel Chromoly... to handle the wear. This is not a high rpm highway/towing ujoint. This is a high load, off road, low speed rock crawling joint. I just bring it up here as a compare and contrast reference for recognizing how Spicer has purpose built u joints... where some are built for value/low cost, others are built for longevity/durability/longer MTBF, and others are built for extreme play time applications.