Matching U-joints to Driveshafts (1 Viewer)

[Steamer]

Is there a way to select the right U-joint if you are not sure what year your drive shafts are? When buying U-joints, vendors just go by the year which doesn’t work if your shafts have been swapped for a different year by the PO. My flange bolt patterns are,

Rear - 68.5mm x 60mm & 11mm bolts.
Front – 64mm x 56mm & 10mm bolts.

So, on the rear one, I’ve damaged one new Matsuba trying to get the cups in far enough for clip install and then removing because I could not do it. Maybe I’ve got the wrong joint or maybe my shaft is bent/closed up. However, on a spare rear shaft that’s still assembled, I measure the same space of 64mm. In the vise I can not squeeze the cups together enough to get the 64mm needed.

 

[peesalot]

If it were me I would run those clips on the sander a bit and maybe hit the inner surface a bit but it looks like just scuffing the clips on the sander would do.

 

[Steamer]

If it were me I would run those clips on the sander a bit and maybe hit the inner surface a bit but it looks like just scuffing the clips on the sander would do.

So do you think I have the correct joint? It looks like I have two to choose from but have no idea how different they are. If they’re close to each other I may have the wrong one. If they’re considerably different, then I’d say I have the right one. I wish I could get dimensions on these joints. I’ve damaged this one, so I need to order another. Just want to be sure I get it right. I may have to get both and find out the difference for myself.

 

[peesalot]

I would call Cruiser Teq ( Crusier Outfitters ) , IIRC the difference is that one uses interior clips and the other one uses clips on top of the caps.

 

[Steamer]

I’m slowly figuring out this puzzle. My front and rear shafts have different size flanges and U-joints. I’m thinking the front driveshaft was replaced with something earlier. With the Matsuba joints, there is one joint, early to 1/74 which I’m thinking is what I have up front, and one for 1/74 to 5/84 which seems to be what I have in the rear.

I damaged the new one I tried to install so I just tried installing the cups without the spider to see if the yoke was damaged. They would bind up and only begin to go in. At the beginning of all this, I used a cut off tube brush in a drill and had the yoke polished up pretty good and well-greased, but the cups just wouldn’t go in. So, I used a flapper sanding wheel in a drill and worked the yoke pretty good. I finally got the cups to press in. So, I knocked them out and put them back on the spider but two of the spider shafts were nicked and didn’t rotate smoothly. I used plumbers sand cloth and worked the two shafts smooth, cleaned, greased, and then the cups rotated smoothly. So, I tried pressing it together again and it all went right together. The joint is still damaged of course, and I’ll order a new one, but I’ll stick it in and run it as is for now since I’m off road only and really need to get rolling again.

 

[Steamer]

IIRC the difference is that one uses interior clips and the other one uses clips on top of the caps.

I'm seeing that now. It would be helpful if vendors pointed that out and maybe add some dimensions.

My front pinion and T-case small pattern flanges must have been changed out along with the install of an earlier drive shaft. Ordering them is easy as some vendors list bolt pattern, bolt size and spline count. This makes it easy to order the right ones. Wish it was the same for U-Joints. Even a pic would help. Out of the box that is. I'll order the two sized joints I have and will post that info here. Thanks for the help.

 

[Steamer]

Something else I just learned when I went to grease the new joint and I couldn’t get my Lock-N-Lube coupler to attach. I had wrongly observed & assumed that the grease fitting hole was symmetrically placed and centered on a 45 degree and therefore the position of joint didn’t matter on installing. Wrong! Having a closer look and as seen in this pic, the grease fitting hole is offset a tad. Rotating the joint 90 degrees will correct this and give more clearance for a coupler. I should have caught it but… I got it greased with a skinny common coupler, so I’ll leave it till I get around to installing the new joint which is on order.