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Topic: Aerostar aluminum drive shaft (Read 11386 times) previous topic - next topic

Aerostar aluminum drive shaft

Reply #30 –
Be warned that adapter U-joints are weaker than U-joints that have the same span between the caps both east/west AND north/south.  I went to the junkyard and found a Crown Vic taxi (Police Interceptor Package) to get an aluminum driveshaft from.  Since the Crown Vic had an AOD tranny, I was able to use the front yoke off that car to avoid having to use an adapter U-joint.  I couldn't use the rear yoke off the taxi, because the bolt pattern didn't match the bolt pattern on the rear end of my car.  Since shops like that have tons of yokes lying around, they gave me a rear yoke that would mate to the rear end in my car and took the rear yoke from the taxi in even exchange.  Now I have an aluminum driveshaft without having to use adapter U-joints.  If you don't plan on ever putting much power to the ground, using adapter U-joints probably won't come back to bite you in the butt.  If you do plan on running sticky tires and making fairly impressive amounts of power though, it would be in your best interest to avoid using adapter U-joints on your car.
William

Aerostar aluminum drive shaft

Reply #31 –
Oh yea!  Another word of advice.  Service-free U-joints are stronger than the ones you CAN grease.  If you're worried about strength, that another good bit of advice.
William

Aerostar aluminum drive shaft

Reply #32 –
yukon makes some pretty strong conversion joints, i haven't broken 1 yet
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Aerostar aluminum drive shaft

Reply #33 –
Sorry to turn  up this old thread, but I found it googling for driveshaft lengths, and this info is  HARD  to find.

This info is added now for any future google travelers,  just to make there lives  just a little bit easier.

Explorer aluminum driveshaft (4 door 2wd were only ones with aluminum) = 50.75" long.
Since it was  also asked in this thread... 1979-04 Mustang shafts = 45.5" long
And just to top off the Fox body info... a 1978-83 Fox Fairmont driveshaft =  50.5" long.

Hope this helps some future googler, and maybe even someone on the site today!
Dave

Edit: What the heck... here's more.
Crown Vic aluminum shaft = 55.5"
Mark 8 aluminum  shaft = 58.2" (However, 93 was the  only  year for the desireable 1 pc shaft)