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Gear Vendors |
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farna
Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19611 |
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I just read some stuff from some of the T-bucket guys (early Ford Model T roadsters). Some of them are running shafts as short as 6" from center of joint to center of joint. Note that these are very LIGHT WEIGHT cars and have very little rear suspension travel. If my trans and rear axle aligned perfectly I wouldn't need a u joint at all -- but I have that Jaguar independent rear suspension -- the differential doesn't move. Well, mine is rubber mounted and the trailing arms do cause it to move a little, but you get the idea. In yours a 24" or so driveshaft would work, and you might have that much even with a GV unit. If it's too short it will bind when the rear axle moves and cause vibration, as noted. You can use a double cardan (two u-joints back to back, not shaft between them, but a special coupler) constant velocity (CV) joint to help since they will work at a higher angle, and are more flexible. One of the T-bucket guys stated they used TWO such joints and only 2" of tube between them, with a total length (end joint to end joint) or 6-7". Other just used two joints with the same length though -- as I said, not much rear suspension travel. The pinion angle of the rear axle and transmission are much more critical as the shaft gets shorter also. The only time the $2600+ GV unit makes economical sense if you 1) just have to keep the stock trans for some reason or 2) have a really high power engine. GV states that you will break a typical high power built four speed (like a T-10, Muncie, or A833 -- not stock but built for drag racing) before you break the GV unit. The GV unit is stronger than the Laycock-DeNormanville unit AMC used... at least the current ones are. GV got their start by buying left over LD units from AMC after AMC stopped using them in the late 70s. GV converted them to divorced units at first, then started making adapters. Not long after they purchased manufacturing rights and started making a stronger unit. I wouldn't be surprised if any divorced unit you found in a truck or bus was actually manufactured by GV.
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Frank Swygert
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