driveshat tube thickness??

[gingrass179]

so i got my 4 door super short project all good and going but no driveshaft yet needing to order the tubing what thickness should i get

 

[gingrass179]

what is factory?

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Drive-shafts are much thinner than most would think.

Some years ago, we were eliminating the worn-out constant-velocity joints from both ends of a drive-shaft and could not come up with the diameter we needed.

What we did have was a galvanized chain-link-fence post that WAS just what we needed, diameter-wise.

We stuck that thing in the lathe, trued the ends to proper length, and welded in the single-U-joint yokes.

That drive-shaft has been put through the wringer and it is still going strong, and with nary a vibration.

 

[jwalterus]

junkyard driveshaft and have it cut down, simple answer

 

[gingrass179]

well thats a nice thought to get one from a junkyard but anything that is not a single cab long bed 4x4 has a 2 piece shaft single cab longbed is only a 1 piece shaft and im 5 inches longer than a single cab longbed

 

[OLDBULL8]

Why bother ordering the tubing. Go to a place where they make driveshafts, they will tell you how to measure the length. They'll make one and balance it. Gotta tell them the U-joint size or take your ends to them.

 

[gingrass179]

im not asking length or how to shorten one simply need the thickness that will suit my needs...are people confused?

 

[DOE-SST]

im not asking length or how to shorten one simply need the thickness that will suit my needs...are people confused?

Hang on,

I'll go cut one up and measure it.

 

[DOE-SST]

Okay,

hope this helps...

driveshaft is OEM off a 1994 E350 one-ton van, IDI with E4OD

shaft is approx 63" long from yoke center to yoke center

most of the diameter is a hair more than 3.5", but it is reduced in diameter for a short length near the front end Using a machinist rule, the wall thckness of the larger diameter is 1/16th". There is a long piece of corrugated cardboard inside the shaft, perhaps to reduce noise?




BTW, if anyone has a source of good used driveshafts, let me know. All the junkyards around me use forklifts to move vehicles, and virtually every shaft is ruined, as well as many fuel tanks and transmissions.

 

[gingrass179]

ive got access to tons of driveshafts what you looking for

 

[Dieselcrawler]

most are only as stated about a 1/16th of an inch. my front one on the crawler is 1/4 inch. but heres what I would say. walk around the junk yard and find a tube that is longer than you need. have that cut down. way cheaper than buying new tubes. what I found is I take a 2wd shaft. has the slip joint on the yolk. have that cut and a slip installed in the tube. adds about 12 inches onto the tube...

 

[franklin2]

I don't think anyone can give you a answer, since the factory varied the thickness. I found this out when I did my zf swap. I had my truck, 89 f250, regular cab diesel, c6. The donor happened to be a 89 also, regular cab, diesel zf 5 speed. When I did the swap, I noticed the rear driveshaft was twice as heavy as the one out of my c6. Then when I go to put the driveshaft back in place, I decide to use my c6 shaft, since it was a known quantity as far as u-joints being good. That's when I found out the u-joints where larger on the zf shaft. So I thought better of it, swapped the yokes on the rearends, and put the zf shaft in my truck.

Same year trucks, optioned the same except the trannies. Different thickness of shafts and different u-joints.

 

[gsxjay]

Sec 40 pipe 3.5 of 3/16 wall build them all the time at our old shop