Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

jp.

no time today to call spicer,

but there are u joints with inside lock rings, dodge,, others, have not had time to get the distance between yoke,

G'day Riki, one of the most important dimensions in the uni joint excercise is the diameter of the bearing cap. The original is 1.172 " (1 11/64") and from all of my investigations there is no uni joint available these days with that size cap to suit the Packard senior set up. If that's correct then the only option is to use another uni joint (like the #1350), and I'm thinking it doesn't matter whether they are internal or external locks. Importantly though, the #1350 has a different size cap and the tailshaft has to be modified for it to fit. A correctly sized pinion yoke is required as well. My repairer reckons the tailshaft is easy to do as he simply cuts the existing yoke "ears" off, welds a new correctly sized yoke in its place, and then balances it all. In other words, no resizing of the old tailshaft yoke is necessary. Cheers, John

Gday, JP

i think i am going to try to keep yoke, the yoke is 10 thou, under, with the outside lock rings a groove would need to be cut in yoke,

thanks rik

Riki, I don't think this helps you much at this point but I'm advised by Kanters that new rear universal joints for the 55/56 Packard seniors are currently in production and should be available in a few months. They have a plentiful supply of the rear universals for the junior V8s.

thanks dave,

but,, I dont think they will be cheap,,,

once, changed you can get u joint for 40 or cheaper,,, and local

When I started out on this project last year I was informed that Kanter would have these available Sep/Oct 2012, but that didn't happen and so my quest to come up with suitable modification began. I should mention that I mentioned repro uni joints to my driveline specialist and his advice was to be very wary. He said that most he had come across had failed prematurely, usually because of inadequate hardening. While this may be a generalisation, it is something to consider if thinking of going down this path.

For those that are still on the hunt for an original uni, or those that might come across one while wandering around a swap meet, I have come up with some part numbers. It's really quite hard to verify this stuff so don't hold me to it - buyer beware! Republic CB-7325, B-W 114-325, Neapco 281000, Precision 301, Detroit 7325-2. Sadly, I could find nothing to match any of these numbers over here. Good luck hunting, John

G'day Men, it's taken awhile but the mod's are now complete and the driveshaft is now ready for reinstallation. Just to recap, I bought a replacement Spicer diff yoke (# 3-4-2111-1) and strap kit (# 3-70-28X), which I understand are Jeep parts. The reason for this selection is that the inner, outer and length dimensions of the yoke shaft are the same as the original, which means the seal fitted previously is the correct size. The uni joint is a readily available non-greasable Spicer 1350 series. I was told that this is actually more heavy duty than the original, which is rated about 1330 series.

I had the front ball and trunnion serviced at the same time and was told that the grease was pretty old but the joint itself was in good condition, although wear was evident where the trunnion spends most of its time. When the driveshaft specialist was modifying the driveshaft to take the new uni joint, he also lengthened it so that the trunnion now will spend most of its time about 3/8" further forward. In other words, where there is no wear at all. He then balanced it all but found a slight bend in the driveshaft which he straightened. He reckons it will now "see me out".

I've attached some pic's so you can see what I've been rabbiting on about. The new yoke looks a lot bigger than the old, and physically it is, but the shaft is the same. The slinger fitted to the new yoke actually came off the old one as it isn't supplied with one. It seems I made a mistake in removing the old yoke from the pinion as I should have marked where the pinion nut was and counted the number of turns to remove it. As it happens, I needed an air gun to undo it so I couldn't count 'em anyway. This posed somewhat of a dilemma when I found out about this, and I really didn't want to remove axles etc to have the pinion preload setup properly. However, in talking to a diff specialist, he said the best I could do in the circumstances is to apply red loctite and then tighten the pinion nut, and then go a further 1/8 turn. I have to say that at 68 and laying on my back under the car, that extra 1/8 turn was bloody hard to achieve, but with the help of a 2' socket bar I finally managed it.

I haven't fitted the driveshaft yet so I'm optimistic that everything will fit OK. I'll be doing that later this week and I'll let you know how it all goes. Cheers, John

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Leave it up to the Aussies to come up with a solution and fabricate it. Thanks.

Jp,

Nice,,did the rear flange on drive shaft need to be replaced to?,, or just enlarged.

Looks like outside lock s,?,,wonder if the cross can be drilled, for grease fitting ...

There now is an option,,,,

Just following up on Riki's queries. I went with the non-greasable uni joint because of the advice that I had received from three driveline specialists, including the US company that supplied the diff yoke. Essentially I was told that the 1350 series uni joint is still being used in new cars today and that it is built with double seals to ensure the good stuff is kept in and the bad stuff kept out. Under normal driving it should last for a long time. However, if the vehicle is subjected to severe use, or if an owner prefers, I understand a greasable 1350 is available. Next, the driveshaft flange is replaced - the old one cut off and a new one welded on, and yes, the locks are on the outside. I also enquired about the possibility of the same setup with "U" bolts instead of straps but it seems there are none available in the Dana Spicer catalogue with the required dimensions.

All up this modification owes me AUS $435, which includes $72 for the diff yoke and strap kit and $73 for shipping (the parts to the supplier and then on to me). This is a lot more than I was expecting to spend when I first started out on servicing the driveshaft, but I couldn't come up with another option. Also, I wasn't going to mention this but USPS nearly caused me apoplexy. When I first received the tracking notice it showed the destination to me living in Austria, not Australia, even though the supplier had advised USPS of the mistake. Unfortunately the tracking system wasn't updated until just before I eventually received the package 19 days after delivery (supposed to be 6 - 10 days). For about 12 days I didn't know where it was (Austria?), but it eventually arrived. The plan is to have it all fitted tomorrow. Cheers, JP