MIDNIGHT RIDER
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My 1985 long-wheel-base F-350 chassis-cab has a two-piece drive-shaft with three universal joints and a carrier-bearing.
Way back when in un-molested factory-original configuration, for reasons un-be-knownst to me, both ends of the assembly had "hybrid" joints, with differing cup-sizes, and a normal joint in the center.
Why did Ford opt to utilize these weird two-sided universal-joints, instead of making all three joints the same ??
As delivered, it requires two different part-numbers to equip the shaft with new joints, plus the aggravation of having differing cup-sizes to contend with; common sense dictates that it would be much more sensible to use three normal joints.
For what it's worth, I measured a brand-new hybrid Spicer joint, 5-1204X
According to my findings, at least on a Spicer joint, the dimensions of the two sides of the cross are identical, both in bearing-surface diameter and length, meaning that it matters not which side of the cross has which size cup.
Prior to actually measuring the cross, I had always assumed that the cross would have differing dimensions to go with the differing dimensions of the cups.
----- Of course, my shaft now has THREE different joints, a huge Dodge/Cummins joint at the transmission end, a normal Ford joint at the center, and the weird hybrid joint at the differential.
Another question:
The splined slip-yoke at the center of the shaft has some sort of ?plastic? collar that I have never yet figured out whether it is removable such that the splines simply slide on/off.
On every other shaft I have ever dealt with, there has been a threaded metal collar that is easily un-screwed with a pair of channel-locks.
Ever since I have owned the truck, many many years, seeing no other feasible option, I have always left this collar intact when pulling the shaft apart --- not an easy task, especially when re-aligning the splines and re-assembling.
Surely this collar is meant to be removed; how does one go about this ??
Many thanks.
Way back when in un-molested factory-original configuration, for reasons un-be-knownst to me, both ends of the assembly had "hybrid" joints, with differing cup-sizes, and a normal joint in the center.
Why did Ford opt to utilize these weird two-sided universal-joints, instead of making all three joints the same ??
As delivered, it requires two different part-numbers to equip the shaft with new joints, plus the aggravation of having differing cup-sizes to contend with; common sense dictates that it would be much more sensible to use three normal joints.
For what it's worth, I measured a brand-new hybrid Spicer joint, 5-1204X
According to my findings, at least on a Spicer joint, the dimensions of the two sides of the cross are identical, both in bearing-surface diameter and length, meaning that it matters not which side of the cross has which size cup.
Prior to actually measuring the cross, I had always assumed that the cross would have differing dimensions to go with the differing dimensions of the cups.
----- Of course, my shaft now has THREE different joints, a huge Dodge/Cummins joint at the transmission end, a normal Ford joint at the center, and the weird hybrid joint at the differential.
Another question:
The splined slip-yoke at the center of the shaft has some sort of ?plastic? collar that I have never yet figured out whether it is removable such that the splines simply slide on/off.
On every other shaft I have ever dealt with, there has been a threaded metal collar that is easily un-screwed with a pair of channel-locks.
Ever since I have owned the truck, many many years, seeing no other feasible option, I have always left this collar intact when pulling the shaft apart --- not an easy task, especially when re-aligning the splines and re-assembling.
Surely this collar is meant to be removed; how does one go about this ??
Many thanks.