1971 halfshaft markings

[Chuck S.]

Re: 1971 DRIVEshaft markings...just wait..

...Can anybody tell me if that front U-joint is the real deal? It's a Spicer, it has a number on it which I couldn't photograph, and it has "Spicer" on all the caps, including the one with the daub of paint on it.

I believe it's original...that would be the only explanation for the paint daub. Replacement U-joints would normally be configured for grease fittings; the originals were not. Years ago you could specify U-joints without fittings if you wanted them...of course no one generally asked for them, and the counter clerk would look at you like you were from Mars. I don't know about current availability

[Jeremy D.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

AURGH...now I have to restore the friggin' U-joint!! I don't mind it when you get a car and it has repro parts all over the place...you just knock them out or replace them with the correct stuff.... but when you get a car that even the U-JOINTS are at least "of the era" and have probably never been changed.....Welcome To NCRS HELL!!!!! BTW, you CAN still get Spicer U-joints without the grease fittings...but they don't have that rounded out part in the center or any numbers on them....at least the ones I've seen.

[Michael W.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

U-joints without grease fitting are readily available, usually listed as HD joints.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

One other thing clearly illustrated in these photos is the SAVAGE effect of corrosive environments on chassis parts. My original owner 1969 which has lived its entire 200,000 mile life in California does not now nor did it ever have even a spec of pitting-type corrosion on the half shafts, driveshaft, or any other chassis part.

[Jeremy D.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

All that pitting & stuff is called "Midwest Patina!".....but at least I think it's a rarer bird to find stuff like this in the Midwest than in, say, Arizona or California, where one would expect to see no pitting or rust or corrosion. Actually, I think the rust & pitting make it more interesting and challenging....I bet our Midwestern knuckles are way bloodier than those in the nice dry desert folks...!

[Chuck S.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

AURGH...now I have to restore the friggin' U-joint!! I don't mind it when you get a car and it has repro parts all over the place...you just knock them out or replace them with the correct stuff.... but when you get a car that even the U-JOINTS are at least "of the era" and have probably never been changed.....Welcome To NCRS HELL!!!!! BTW, you CAN still get Spicer U-joints without the grease fittings...but they don't have that rounded out part in the center or any numbers on them....at least the ones I've seen.

Nah...Don't be ridiculous. Replace all the u-joints with the nearest equivalent Spicer part, and put a daub of paint on one end just like the existing. We won't tell.

In fact, I wouldn't even bother with getting joints without the grease fittings...you can't see the fittings under the car anyway, and you might as well get something you can maintain. Just my non-purist opinion.

[Chuck S.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

All that pitting & stuff is called "Midwest Patina!"...Actually, I think the rust & pitting make it more interesting and challenging...

"Midwest Patina"??!! ROFL!

For sure it's going to be more challenging...I have seen cannon brought up out of seawater after two hundred years that looked better than these halfshafts. You can tell us how happy you are about the "challenging" part after you're done with it.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

All that pitting & stuff is called "Midwest Patina!".....but at least I think it's a rarer bird to find stuff like this in the Midwest than in, say, Arizona or California, where one would expect to see no pitting or rust or corrosion. Actually, I think the rust & pitting make it more interesting and challenging....I bet our Midwestern knuckles are way bloodier than those in the nice dry desert folks...!

Jeremy-----


It may be "interesting", but I'd call the pieces beyond "challenging". There's no way that I'd even attempt to restore pieces like this. The corrosion has weakened them structurally and any attempt at "restoration" is only going to weaken them more structurally. The value of these parts is currently set at about "$300 per ton".

[Jeremy D.]

Now, THAT is NOT the NCRS Attitude!!

Heck, my old CJ-7 had worse looking U-joints, and I twisted an axleshaft on a Dana 30 frontend without destroying the u-joint. And, it was the next smaller size. I just hate to toss originality away...YOU GUYS HAVE BRAINWASHED ME!!!!! I think I'll replace them, though...

[Alan S.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

My 71 drive shaft was in good enough condition that I could see the stenciled part # when I started to clean it, but, I didn't have any trace of the alignment colors. The half-shafts were in good condition, but no markings turned up as I cleaned them.
Regards,
Alan

[Joe L.]

Re: 1971 halfshaft markings

I saw the Dobbins' picture as well, and I saw the similarity, but since it's a '69 and a small block (no end caps on the yokes...or had they gone to putting caps on the BB cars yet in '69?) I dismissed the mark as having a different purpose being on the frame and not on a rotating piece...but as I had more coffee and after reading your post, I think you're right. But it FLIPS MY LID that those marks are still on the halfshafts, which were at one time moving at ridiculous RPM'S!!

Jeremy-----


Big blocks ALWAYS used the cap-type half shaft u-joint retainers, Beginning in 1970, some small blocks did, too.

Regardless of what speed that the half shafts or driveshaft were turning, it would not affect the longevity of the marks. Water, road grime, and corrosion would be the primary factors affecting the longevity of the marks. Obviously, the marks survived, but just as obviously they didn't survive in what one could call "perfect condition". What survived is a vestige of what once was.