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Correct U-joint

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Whitephrog

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Went to my driveline shop today to to have my universal joints pressed into my drive shaft and yokes. The guy at the shop told me that I have the wrong ones, that the location of grease zerk will keep the joint from rotating properly. I have Hardy Spicer HS194. Correct or incorrect?
 
HA! My guy did the same thing. I than took it apart on his bench and showed him how it works! After he screwed it up by putting it together wrong.

Believe it or not my stock driveshaft and yokes (And likely yours too) do have a relief casted in it so that the grease zerks will not hit when the u joint swivels. They can only be put on one way. I found this hard to believe when I looked at it because I did not think the Midg's ever came factory with such. Take a close look at the corners of the casting on the ears. More than likely (Like mine) you will notice that when you turn the U joint one way or the other there is a dpression meant for it to recess into while spinning. If you cant see it on yours Ill try to take pics.
 
DSCN1283.jpg


Not easy to get under there. Wow. Okay. so if you look where the grease zerk is, there is a very slight radius change on that area of the drive shaft. So slight my driveshaft guy didnt notice it either. However it is just enuf to clear that grease zerk when it spins around. Trust me I have spun this one alot! Often this area may be dirty too. But this is on both ends of the driveshaft and I have these both installed this way. When I got to the driveshaft shop, He had the zerks removed and told me I could put them back in when I needed to grease the joints. Not very satisfyed with that answer I looked at them for a minute and took them back apart with him and put them back in. He had them installed 90 debrees out of whack. (On both sides) What chance!
 
I see exactly what you mean. I have two shafts one restored in great shape, one unrestored with a dent. The one with a dent is just as you described the other isn't. I may use those yokes on a new shaft. Thanks for the photos.
 
Scott

Do both facing yokes need to have the rounded out radius or just either one of the two?
 
I wasn't clear. Do the opposing yokes both have the revised radius? For instance I have a yoke that goes into the transmission that has the modified radius. Does the opposing yoke on the drive shaft need to have the modified radius as well?
 
So I talked with my driveline guy yesterday. I suggested that we cannibalize the dented shaft and weld the correct yokes on a new shaft. He said that he couldn't do that because he didn't have the proper "fittings" for that size shaft. He rattled off several fitting size numbers to explain to me what he meant. I not sure that he was successful in his explanation. The guy is not a "shade tree". His shop looks like a surgery ward.

Some of you learned folks help me understand this dilema. Is the process to build a drive shaft that precise?
 
Ray I may have a good spare latemodel shaft with no dents & with the dimples if you want it. Ill dig threw my spares. Let me know.
 
Thanks for the offer. I thinks I have a solution. I recently sold a Bugeye project to a friend of mine. Before the sale I had three drive shafts. I cleaned, primered and painted two of them. Thinking they were both identical I sent one with the project car and kept one. I believe that the one I kept is from a 73 Midget and the one my friend has is from a Bugeye. He hasn't bought new u-joints yet so we are going to swap shafts. Then he'll buy a set of the "sealed for life" u-joints. I just didn't realize the apparent diffultly in building a new shaft.
 
I would try a different drive line shop. I had worn yokes on my drive shaft a few years back. I had taken it in just to make sure it was balanced and true but he found the holes had worn to ovals. He offered to fix them, but i said i had a spare drive line, but IT had a dent in it. Took the two and made one, THEN did the truing and balancing, and it still only cost about $70. A GOOD drive line shop could make the whole thing from scratch. YMMV
 
""""""I would try a different drive line shop."""""

I'll third that statement.

Spicer # 5-111X or eqivalent is the item. A COMPETENT driveline shop can use an eqivalent item with a push lube fitting on the outside of one of the cups. Neapco 1-0300 for example.
 
And all this time I thought my parts folks gave me the wrong U-Joints. I'll take the little screw I used to seal the U-Joint install correctly now. Thanks for the thread!
 
Good-Grief!

These Spridget U-Joints are the worst I've ever done...

Took me over an hour.

Had to push one cup almost all the way out and then flip it and do the same with the other side.

And when I almost got it out, it kicked up a burr because there was nothing keeping it from wobbling.
(It doesn't appear that I hurt anything)

I was gonna do both but...The heck with that.

2008KryderacingAwards001.jpg
 
WhatsThatNoise said:
Good-Grief!

These Spridget U-Joints are the worst I've ever done...

Took me over an hour.

Had to push one cup almost all the way out and then flip it and do the same with the other side.

And when I almost got it out, it kicked up a burr because there was nothing keeping it from wobbling.
(It doesn't appear that I hurt anything)

I was gonna do both but...The heck with that.

2008KryderacingAwards001.jpg
Click to expand...

How about when my guy put them in backwars m(With the Zerks hitting) and than I had to remaove and re-install the new ones!!! YUK!!! Try gettin em out without hurtin em.
 
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