DeTomaso Mailing List: December 97, Message #1
     



From: 	JDeRyke@aol.com

Subject: Re:  Universals/Half-shafts

Date: 	Mon, 1 Dec 1997 03:25:02 +0000



That's a tough one. The stock half shafts were mostly painted a sort of flat

silver and had non-greasable u-joints. Spicers out here in CAl are a

gold-alodine color and use Ford F-500 truck u joints. Note that there's

really nothing wrong with the stock half-shafts; it's the stock u-joints that

cause the problem. Rumor has it that they were fabricated of steel that was

hardened all the way through the cross, which makes them very hard &

long-wearing, and very brittle as well. No U-S-made replacements fit the

stock half-shafts at that time. U.S-made u-joints are surface-hardened only,

so they are ductile under the very hard outer surface the needle bearings

ride on. This allows then to handle shock loads much better than the brittle

stock joints. Now, there are US-made (I think) u-joints for stock

half-shafts, so the question may no longer apply. J DeRyke