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Datsun yoke for 5 speed

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Rut

Rut

Obi Wan
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I'm working on my drive shaft and have the Datsun 210 yoke and a Midget drive shaft. Is it as simple as machining the smaller of the two to accept a universal joint or do I need to cut off the the yoke at the drive shaft and weld it to the Midget one? I know that these parts are available, but I would like to see if its something I could do.
thanks, Rut
 
Rut
It is possible to do many things but I wouldn't since it doesn't take much misalignment to give you a lot of vibration while driving.
I have some of the proper yokes and u-joints left that I will sell you for $50 plus shipping.
BillM
 
Making one up would probably require cutting both pieces on a lathe with perhaps a spigot on the one to fit inside the other. Then you would have to weld them with no distortion. Pretty tricky but, having said that, there are a lot of good driveline shops in the country that could do it and balance your driveline at the same time. I have 4 shafts in my spare parts and none of them are in balance so will probably be looking up a shop anyway one of these days.

Bill's solution looks the best IMHO!

Kurt.
 
Bill's just works, it is an "elegant solution".
 
Rut, a while back, I had a problem with the U-joint and when I called Rivergate to get the part no., I found out it was not an item I could get at my local auto parts house, but I could get it from them. Well, I was headed out of town the next day so I took the driveshaft to a local driveline shop and they put on a different yoke so the next time I could get a U-joint locally. Evidently, the U-joint that fits the Datsun is a pretty common one. It is not something I would attempt to do myself. As mentioned, go with replacements from BillM or have the driveshaft modified professionally. Good luck!
 
Billm said:
I have some of the proper yokes and u-joints left that I will sell you for $50 plus shipping.
BillM
Click to expand...

Bill, how many do you have left?
 
I put a 460 Lincoln engine in my Bronco and had to cut the drive shaft and change the yoke setup. Took it to a machine shop that does that kind of work and it came back cut, welded and balanced! I think I paid around a hundred bucks. Bills offer is a deal, grab it! I have a nice shop well equipped, but I would not do a drive shaft. Their very sensitive to balance and yoke placement. JMHO. PJ
 
Billm said:
Kim
If you weld them then the u-joints won't have much effect-- (?)
BillM
Click to expand...
I guess I am not that good at explaining. Still have both U joints. I took loose the British yoke. Cut the splined part off. Then I bored what was left of that yoke out a bit. Then I cut off the splined part of the datsun yoke and press fitted it into the british yoke. Then welded it up as one yoke. Did not take long at all and with the press fit, the datsun and British parts are perfectly aligned before the weld of the yoke.
 
Kim, I can see how that would work out pretty smoothly, with every owner there's just a little bit more in the strange and wonderful variations we get to deal with when we 'inherit' these beasts from the previous owners. Unfortunately the guy I bought mine from wasn't the guy who did the work so I got no history with the car at all, just a lot of interesting surprises...
 
Kim
Now i see that yours is a good idea but most of don't have that kind of skill nor machinery!
If I mail you a bunch of steel would you make up some? (I am joking, kind of- )
BillM
 
regularman said:
I guess I am not that good at explaining. Still have both U joints. I took loose the British yoke. Cut the splined part off. Then I bored what was left of that yoke out a bit. Then I cut off the splined part of the datsun yoke and press fitted it into the british yoke. Then welded it up as one yoke. Did not take long at all and with the press fit, the datsun and British parts are perfectly aligned before the weld of the yoke.[/QUOTE
Kim, yur a talented guy!!!
I would be afraid of getting the Brit yoke bored exactly on center and of weld distortion. Try it or have it spun up on a drive shaft lathe to check it out. Can't be any worse than the ones I have that have been put together not matched to original or have been whacked out of alignment.
Kurt.
Click to expand...
 
Here in SA the Nissan prop / yoke use the exact same size universal joint as the Sprite and I literally took the original yoke off and fitted the Nissan one to the existing UJ.

We can also still purchase brand new yokes for both the older and newer gearboxes, I think the number of splines are different.
 
JohnDough said:
We can also still purchase brand new yokes for both the older and newer gearboxes, I think the number of splines are different.
Click to expand...

You can buy new ones here too, and they are the type that take replaceable u-joints.
 
aah , that took a minute to sink in . I assume the original Nissan's in the states had non replaceable UJ's? The light utility vehicle where these gearboxes were used till about 5 years ago had replaceable UJ's.
 
Hello - Light Bulb coming on. " The light utility vehicle where these gearboxes were used till about 5 years ago had replaceable UJ's." Was this transmission still used in SA up until a few years ago. That says there are more spares available. Shipping becomes the issue but with 210 5 Speeds running $7-900 on e-Bay is there an alternative source available for the 210 type tranny that could be easily shipped to the States?
 
Also one that's only 5 to 10 years old would probably be a lot nicer than the 30+ year old boxes we are using.
 
Its amazing how many neat things are manufactured and sold in other parts of the world that we have no access to. Datsun A engines that went ahead of these transmission's were still being made in Indonesia a short time ago as well. The rest of the world got Datsun heads that gave good fuel economy while all we got were the ones for low emmisions and poor fuel economy.
Even today we can't buy the 67MPG diesel Fiesta that europe can.
So, Gerard, if there is a Nissan part number for the SA yoke I wonder how far from matching the BMC yoke it is.

Kurt.
 
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