OK folks,
I thought I would put this poll up for my own personal curiosity. I've got a 1999 SPORT 2500 Short-Bed 2 wheel drive with a One piece - Aluminum - Driveshaft that has had a "click" sound in it since it was almost new. It only will click once when changing direction of travel (like sitting still and shifting from reverse to drive or viceversa. You can also here it click once when the tranny downshifts) The u-joints don't have any slop in them, but they were stiff and kinda gritty feeling when ya rotated the cups on the u-joint. At least this is how they felt when we had the tranny out in May. I should have put new ones in then,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,, but I wasn't prepared that day to do so.

Anyway, I decided to do it while I'm off of work this week so I stopped at the local Advance Auto and had them look them up. I gave them all the info, plus I told them that I had read of us diesel guys having problems getting the right ones for our truck. I told them of the difference in the two-piece driveshafts also. I had also had NAPA tell me there were 3 different sizes for our trucks depending on the year and wheelbase and 4wd / 2wd. The AA place had to order them and they said this was because they didn't keep them in stock.

"Long story Short" ,,,,,,,,,,,,, truck is at DD4x4's son's house and I'm at home with a driveshaft that the U-joints they special ordered DON"T fit (too small). I'm going to take the whole driveshaft into the store with me tomorrow and find the right ones. GOD,,,,,,,,,, please let me be nice

The poll is just to find out how many other trucks have the one piece, aluminum driveshaft. I've had a bunch of folks say they have never seen that before. Do I have something unusual? I do plan on putting the part number somewhere for future reference
One other thing that we noticed when we were looking at the driveshaft is that there are two balance weights welded on at each end. One of then looks like the weld is cracked, but the weight is still in place. I wonder if this is where my click sound is coming from? That hollow aluminum shaft acts just like an amplifier.

 

Pretty sure mine is good old fashioned steel,
as it was rusty looking less than a week after I took it home.


2002 short bed 1 piece.

Assuming by 2 piece, you mean transmission to the carrier bearing, then to the differential.

Technically, that would be a 6-7 piece.

Tranny slip joint, ujoint, long piece, ujoint, carrier bearing, ujoint, long piece and ujoint.

That would make the 1 piece actually a 4 piece
Slip joint, ujoint, really long piece and ujoint.


phox

 

Jeeze Phox,,,,,,,,,,,,

I changed the poll a little Jerry. I'm going to call what you have a 2 piece metal ,,,,,,,,, the kind that will rust and it uses a carrier bearing attached to a crossmember.
I'm considering mine as 1 piece from the transmission to the differential (not counting the slip-joint) and (no carrier bearing).

Maybe I should have asked if anyone else had an aluminum driveshaft?

 

Did you want to lock the thread?

I'm guessing not, so I unlocked it for you.

Actually, I have a short bed 1 piece rusty steel driveshaft.
My vote reflects what I actualy have, even though I confused myself slightly.

I don't think any short bed's needed the carrier bearing, but I could be wrong.


phox

 

Just for information. I'm on my second forward U-joint, and a complete new front driveshaft and both U-joints.

 

OOPS! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, nope,,,,,,,,, didn't mean to lock it,,,,,,, thanks Jerry.
I guess I'm kinda thinking that the only trucks that had the 1-piece aluminum were the 2 wheel drive automatics,,,,,,,, maybe the manuals,,,,, but probably only the 2wd's.

My reason for thinking was that the 2wd auto wouldn't need the strength like a 4wd,,,,, plus the 4wd is probably shorter because of the transfer case. The longer 2wd shaft would be lighter if they made it out of aluminum. Then again,,,,,,,,, I could be wrong,,,, Another reason that folks aren't used to seeing them is because there aren't as many 2wd shortbeds,,,,,,,,, most are 4wd.

 

Almost sounds like Chevy parts on a Dodge, it don't take no effort to bend a steel one why would you want an aluminum driveshaft. Suggestion #2 - engineer to lighten new HD trucks with aluminum driveshaft to compensate for heavy high torque diesel engine????. Suggestion #3- Chinese republic buying too much steel government plans to recycle beer cans into driveshafts??? What can I say Phox made me do it. PK

 

My 92 350 has one drive shaft to the rear and my 99 3500 has the two piece drive shaft to the rear and they are all steel. Just put new U-joints in the 92 last week. They went from squeaka squeaka squeaka to crunch crunch crunch and I figured the next thing was clang clang clang when it fell out on the road. That is usually un-good......

I've seen a lot of trucks but this was the first aluminum drive shaft I have ever seen with cast aluminum machined ends. It's cool though, looks like about five inch conduit and the whole thing probably don't weigh five pounds.

You forgot to add long bed regular cab 2x4 / 4x4 with one piece drive shaft (no carrier bearing)

You could also "add long wheel base regular cab 2x4 / 4x4 automatic super quiet does this thing have a turbo or a motor in it totally stock except for the muffler fell off just purchased as a back up makes no noise rides very rough pretty clean for a 92" to the poll above.

 

Joel,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Do you really think I need any more confusion in my life?

Here's a side note* I looked up the part on the Advance Auto website and the guy at the store gave me the ones that their computer data base calls for, so I guess it's not his fault. I know I've read a bunch of threads about the difficulty of getting the right u-joint at most auto stores.

PK,,,,
I had the same thoughts as you did,,,,,,,,,,, putting an aluminum drive shaft in a diesel truck just didn't sound right. They do call it an Aluminum/Graphite shaft

 

Not sure where to slide my truck into the line up. I thought there were three different wheel bases:

• Std cab short bed
• Std cab long bed - CC/QC short bed
• CC/QC long bed

FWIW, my truck is the QC short bed with 1-piece steel driveshaft.

 

Aluminum GRAPHITE you say???? Guess that means when it falls off or twists in half, you can use it to sign the credit card voucher when ya go to pick up a new one (kinda like one of them monster pencils we used in kinneygarden with our Big Chief tablets)...

Garywithatwopiecesteel100#knucklebustingwhenyagott achangeujoints drive shaft

 

I've got a one piece rusted one on mine. 2001 Quad Cab Shortbed 4X4 Automatic

 

Mechanos,
Correct me if I'm wrong,,,,,, but I don't think you could purchase a standard cab shortbed in the 3/4 or 1 ton chassis with a diesel,,,,, at least I've never heard of one.

scuzman00,
,,,,,, Good point!

I ended up taking the driveshaft up to a local NAPA store with a shop and had them installed. The fella had a heck of a time getting one of the cups pressed out,,,,,,,,, I would probably have damaged the it trying to do it "backyard" style. It was worth the price for the labor in order to get it done right. All I had to do was pick it up and put it back up under the truck. The NAPA part number for the u-joint in mine is #210-0160 (this is a new NAPA part # which replaces the old NAPA # 330 ).

Oh,,,, BTW,,,,,, my click sound is still there,,, but at least I have new greasable u-joints and can take them off the list of possable causes for the "click". It has done this for almost 80,000 miles and never gotten worse and nothing has fallen out from under the truck yet,,,,,,,,,,, Maybe she'll go another 80,000

 

Like I always say, "don't worry about it till it falls out on the pavement smokin".