This Should Be An Easy DriveShaft Question (1 Viewer)

[NorCalDoug]

When I upgrade to the 6" lift, I will get front and rear CV driveshafts. I don't like messing around and playing the "what's causing the vibration" game.

Since I have a history of offroad driveshaft abuse , I'm wondering if my stock driveshafts would work fine for off-road, hardcore trail only use? If I bash the hell out of my driveshaft...who cares, I have my CV driveshafts with me to swap out once I get off the trail.

I guess what I'm essentially asking is if my OEM driveshafts will likely be long enough with 6" springs? Vibrations wouldn't be a big deal since I typically wouldn't be moving fast enough while on the trail for it to be noticable.

What do y'all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Am I just hitting that crack pipe too hard again?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

IMO that sounds like more of a pain than it is worth. Why don't you just buy a CV shaft from somewhere that will replace it if it gets damaged (I believe Tom Wood's does)? It may cost a bit more, but if you break it, pull it off when you get home and shipped the peices to them.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Should work, but that's a lot of trouble! If you can correct the rear pinion angle the rear should not vibrate. Definately put a CV in the front. A non-CV shaft has the advantage of being simple. We had the misfortune last weekend of having an expensive Tom Woods CV shaft grenade on the back side of Buck Island Lake. The flange casting was simply too thin for the job-I was suprised how weak it was. Stay with Toyota if possible. JMHO.

 

[e9999]

changing the shafts each time would be a pain...
wheels are bad enough...

 

[NorCalDoug]

I appreciate the comments

So...let's say I leave the front CV driveshaft in and just change the rear. IIRC, it only took me 10 or 15 minutes to pull the rear DS when I candy-striped it a couple years ago on the Rubicon...

Just looking to avoid paying $$$ for DS retubing and rebalancing if I can avoid it. Granted, it was only $88 for an OEM DS retube/rebalance...but that could be put to better use

I already have a spare rear OEM DS ready to abuse..

 

[Darwood]

Doug your idea works for me. It will probably take you 15 minutes a driveshaft on a very good day, so factor in an additional hour to your trail time. The stock shafts will work fine as far as length goes (assuming L length shocks), also you should be able to get away with the rear shaft at highway speeds. At worse it will vibrate a little after you lower the pinion enough. The stock front shaft will probably be good to only 25 mph after the 6 inch lift.

This past weekend I just added Slee's rear double cardan shaft and my life is now silent. It's pretty much the exact same shaft as the Slee front double cardan, only longer.

 

[turbocruiser]

As someone with the double cardan shafts and also with obsessive compulsive disorder, I'll tell you that the thought of swapping shafts would be a real PITA, not for the stock shafts but for the double cardan (is that what you meant?) ones.

This is true only if, like me, you insist on torqueing the bolts to the proper torque each and every time. The DC shafts have somewhat different sized and shaped metal around the flange to flange connection between the TC and the shaft/s. This makes putting a socket on those bolts almost impossible which makes torqueing them to the exact setting almost imposible.

When I replaced my front shaft for example, I literally had to drop the front sway bar and sway bar brackets, lift the rig from the frame, and then contort and push and pull the shaft at extreme angles just to get the clearance required to put the socket on squarely and tighten with torque wrench. Add to that crap the crap you go through to get the TC flange to rotate for each bolt and you've got alotta crap to fuss with just to replace the DS.

Now the simple answer to THIS problem would be to just put a box end wrench or open end wrench on the bolts and "tighten er down" but for whatever reason (prolly the OCD again) I just cannot roll like that.

The simple answer to the real problem you posed however is just to get and regularly run with the DC driveshaft. That will solve the vibration problems and also all the other problems at the same time. If I read you right, you are going to get the shafts anyway but only run them on the street for higher speed vibration resistance? Maybe I read wrong, anyways, my vote is for the DC driveshafts used full time. HTH

 

[Clutchee]

If you want a cheap "trail shaft" what about the square tubing shaft just for trails & then swap back to drive home? Just a thought.

 

[Romer]

I would run the new drive shafts and consider the old ones spares should you brake it on the trail. The odds of you hurting your new drive shafts is low.

I was able to torque the bolts using a long "wobble extnsion" it allows you to get a better angle.

Put the pipe down Doug!

Ken

 

[e9999]

can't you just drive where there are no rocks?

 

[NorCalDoug]

can't you just drive where there are no rocks?

Sure...and on those trips, I won't carry a spare

I have 1 spare rear DS now. Once I get the double-cardan, I'll have 2 spares.

On trails like the Rubicon, it's not too difficult to candy-stripe a DS. Maybe it'll be different post-lift...maybe the driveline angles will be different enough that it's not an issue.

...Put the pipe down Doug!

hand me one of them cigars and I'll gladly put the pipe away

 

[Romer]

hand me one of them cigars and I'll gladly put the pipe away

Anytime my friend, any time

 

[sleeoffroad]

Double cardan shafts come with 120 wall. Run those all the time, and if you trash it, use your regular as a spare to get out and then fix the double cardan. Now if you toast two shafts on one trip, you need to lay off the red wine.

 

[Brentbba]

Wait Doug - you're trying to tell me you and I have similar skills and you're changing out drive shafts?

 

[e9999]

Wait Doug - you're trying to tell me you and I have similar skills and you're changing out drive shafts?

yes, but what about driving skills? how many DSs did you each bust?

 

[Brentbba]

yes, but what about driving skills? how many DSs did you each bust?

NONE! But then my offroad driving is compared to what Doug has done.

 

[NorCalDoug]

yes, but what about driving skills? how many DSs did you each bust?

Just had damage to one. It was on the first 80s on the Rubicon trip. I was stuck in a large rockgarden with loose boulders all under me.

It was getting late in the day, I was mentally tired and just wanted to get through to the end of the trail -- which I was told was less than a mile away.
I had been stuck earlier in the day and didn't want to (of really felt I needed to) get another tug off.

As I hit the gas pedal, I could feel the cruiser slide sidways a bit -- don't ask me how I knew, but I knew I was sitting on the rear driveshaft -- I could feel it.
"Screw it," I thought to myself as I mashed the skinny pedal. As the tires spun, I could smell the burning rubber. I felt the rear of the 80 sliding to my right and off the rock I was stuck on. Now with traction, I was able to motor out. Once on solid ground, I took a peek underneath to see if I inflicted major damage. I saw a nice 1/8" groove in the outer sleeve of the DS -- it looked like the stripe on a candy cane. The rig drove fine on the trail, but when I hit pavement, it was out of balance enough that I swore it would shake fillings loose when I drove over 45mph.

Chalk it up to inexperience -- it's not something that I'd repeat...but it is something that's stuck with me and something I think about on the trail.