I just broke my front driveshaft plowing snow. I have a lot of junk in my yard but not so sure that even all that fits in the back of my truck will be enough weight to give me enough traction to plow in 2WD. My friend has a driveshaft from a 1/2 ton truck, I know the lengths are different because of the front differential being bigger but other than that will it bolt up? I can probably cut and weld this thing......

 

Me thinks yer in over your head. Drive shaft shops do good work and aren't real expensive because it doesn't take much time. It does, however, take some equipment and knowledge. They can re-use any undamaged parts from your broken shaft. A half ton shaft would be way too light.

I would guess that plowing snow didn't break the drive shaft. It was either lack of maintenance, or accidental collision with an obstruction. A drive shaft should easily take the relatively light torque it takes to drive rubber tires on a slippery surface.

 

Or, I have a STACK of driveshafts for 1st gens in my shop should you need a replacement…
Just PM me if you need one.

 

Well I looked a little like Sanford and Son plowing but I managed to finish up. A u-joint broke and the ball and socket in the middle of the double u-joint is totaled. Not sure which happened first.

 

At this point it is sort of the chick or the egg.

 

Well considering I am on a very tight budget right now I have decided to use the 1/2 ton driveshaft. I am definitely going to have to shorten it.

 

If you eventually get the old one rebuilt tell the shop doing the work to put joints in with the nipples in the caps. They are way easier to service. In my experience if it is easy to do it will get done more often.

 

Now that I think about it I have been a member here for many years. Done a lot of reading but not much posting. I will take pictures and write this process up as I do it. Driveshafts can even be balanced at home with simple tools. And I agree completely, grease fittings in the caps is the way to go.

 

Ok, more snow coming this weekend so its time to get my front driveshaft in. You don't need any special tools other than common shop tools and a welder to do this. Start by measure and marking the tube where you want to cut it. My tool of choice is a 3" air cutoff wheel but any cutting device will work(even a circular saw with a metal cutoff wheel). Try and make the cut as straight and square as you can.


Next you will have to get the splined end out. This means you will have to cut the tube again. Look at the thickness of the tube from the cut you already made and try not to cut too deep, there is a center hub on the spline part that fits inside the tube that you want to keep.

 

That center hub is a very tight fit, you will have to wack it with a hammer while forcing it out with whatever will fit in the slot you cut(screwdriver, chisel, small prybar...) Its tight but it will eventually come out. Now you are ready to put the two halves together, but first make sure the splines are sliding freely, they are famous for freezing up. When you do put the two ends together make sure that you line up the u-joints(called indexing the driveshaft). This will help stop vibrations. You will probably have to tap it in with a hammer.

 

Now comes the part you don't want to rush, getting this thing straight. Here is what I use. You can just use a couple of "Y" shaped pieces of wood if that's what you have on hand, anything that will allow you to rotate the shaft. You can also install it in the vehicle and spin it by hand in the truck. A dial indicator is most precise but you can get it surprisingly straight by just putting something real close to it as a point of reference and watch as you spin it. Take your time, this is important. Then it is time to weld. Tack it in 3 or 4 spots and check it for straightness again. If any heat expansion knocked this crooked you want to know before you fully weld it.

 

Ok, weld it good. Grease those splines and re-clamp the boot and you are ready to install this thing.

 

That should be fine at the low speeds any sensible person runs in the snow. I did the front drive line for my jeep in a similar way and it runs surprisingly smooth.

 

Nice writeup Mudbuster!

 

Just realized that I did not talk about balancing the shaft. Jack up the truck so you can drive it on stands and feel the vibration. If you are lucky it wont vibrate at all(I'm not that lucky either). Mark the driveshaft in 4 positions, 12 o-clock, 3, 6, and 9. If it vibrates slight use 1 hoseclamp(regular radiator hose clamp), if the vibration is worse use 2 clamps or even 3. Put the clamp on the 12 o-clock position and drive, feel it vibrate, then move it to the 3 o-clock position and feel it again, and so on. Remember (or write it down) how bad the vibration is at each spot. If it feels similar in 2 of the positions it may need to be put in the middle. Once you find the spot that helps the most you might have to add or reduce the weight. This can be very time consuming but remember that this only needs to be done once. After you get it right you can go for a more professional look and just weld a small piece of metal of the same weight as the clamps.