new drive shafts
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,404
Likes: 3
From: Cleveland, WI USA
new drive shafts
I talked to a drive shaft shop a few weeks ago to find out if I need mine on my 78 lengthened for a 3" susp. lift. They told me if I go 2" I'll be fine but 4" will need to be lengthened. 3" is marginal.
So, for 6", I'd say yes according to the shop I talked to.
Kevin K.
So, for 6", I'd say yes according to the shop I talked to.
Kevin K.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,404
Likes: 3
From: Cleveland, WI USA
new drive shafts
Where are you located?
I got hooked up with this shop through my cousin. The shop wants to put pix of his off-road truck in their ads, so he gets some good deals. I haven't really looked anywhere else.
Kevin K.
I got hooked up with this shop through my cousin. The shop wants to put pix of his off-road truck in their ads, so he gets some good deals. I haven't really looked anywhere else.
Kevin K.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 760
Likes: 0
From: Boise, ID
new drive shafts
If you don't have a shop locally to go to check out http://www.highangledriveline.com/. Jess is building some monster shafts but can build you anything you want.
You will probably need to have both shafts reworked. I just went through this on my 77'. I had a longer slip yoke added to the stock rear shaft which actually required it to be shortend by 1/4". I also had 1330 u-joints (1310 is stock) added which, with the cost of the new yokes ($50 apeice), offset the savings of having the old shaft reworked vs. getting all new. The rear shaft would have bolted up but the slip yoke would have pulled apart when the suspension dropped. Your situation will depend on whether you have a long bed or short bed. My truck is a short bed so I had less room to play with.
The front shaft will need lenghtened for sure. Mine was 1/4"-1/2" shy of bolting up. Even if it did bolt up it would have been in bind at ride height. A Double Cardan joint needs to be added to avoid binding. When you go with a DC joint you also need to change the corresponding yoke. U-joint and DC yokes are different. Reworking your stock front shaft really won't save you anything since there is only about $1.00 of tube involved. My front shaft with 1330 joints and DC joint ran me $475 including the new 1330 yokes. The rear shaft ran me $225 to have it reworked. All that includes new u-joints and balancing. I had my shafts done at Six States Distributors of which there are a few throuhout the Northwest. Each shops prices will vary but that should give you a ballpark figure of what you're looking at.
You will probably need to have both shafts reworked. I just went through this on my 77'. I had a longer slip yoke added to the stock rear shaft which actually required it to be shortend by 1/4". I also had 1330 u-joints (1310 is stock) added which, with the cost of the new yokes ($50 apeice), offset the savings of having the old shaft reworked vs. getting all new. The rear shaft would have bolted up but the slip yoke would have pulled apart when the suspension dropped. Your situation will depend on whether you have a long bed or short bed. My truck is a short bed so I had less room to play with.
The front shaft will need lenghtened for sure. Mine was 1/4"-1/2" shy of bolting up. Even if it did bolt up it would have been in bind at ride height. A Double Cardan joint needs to be added to avoid binding. When you go with a DC joint you also need to change the corresponding yoke. U-joint and DC yokes are different. Reworking your stock front shaft really won't save you anything since there is only about $1.00 of tube involved. My front shaft with 1330 joints and DC joint ran me $475 including the new 1330 yokes. The rear shaft ran me $225 to have it reworked. All that includes new u-joints and balancing. I had my shafts done at Six States Distributors of which there are a few throuhout the Northwest. Each shops prices will vary but that should give you a ballpark figure of what you're looking at.
Last edited by 77'F-150Mudder; Jul 8, 2003 at 08:02 PM.
