Do they have a web site?
----- Original Message -----
From: "tim" <lloydt@Colorado.EDU>
To: "Ole Truckers" <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 5:04 PM
Subject: U-joint preventative maintenance (was Re: [oletrucks] It's not the
clutch, so now what?)
> Just got back from Mile High Classics with a replacement for my u-joint's
> rear yoke. Turns out what happened (most likely) was that one of the
> four bolts on the front yoke unscrewed just enough so that the head caught
> on something and sheared off. The busted bolt head rattled around inside
> the bell until it found a resting place where it could jam itself, seizing
> the u-joint, and causing the rear yoke to split. The shaft had enough
> energy left to keep spinning and further distort the busted pieces.
>
> The suggestion from the folks down at Mile High Classics is to remove the
> somewhat useless flange bit that attempts to hold down the bolts, and just
> drill holes in the bolt heads, and wire them together. That, combined
> with some Lok-Tite, should keep the u-joint from self-destructing again
> until I can afford a new, open driveline, rear end.
>
> I highly recommend that anyone using a closed driveline inspect their
> u-joint and perform the above preventative maintenance.
>
> And oletruckers in the Denver area might want to check out Mile High
> Classic Truck Parts. They're really helpful -- in fact, they found a
> replacement grill for my 1954 pickup! Their number is 303-287-3977, and
> they're at 5900 York St., just off the 58th St. exit from I-25. They're
> supposedly coming out with a catalog in the very near future.
>
> On Wed, 18 Sep 2002, tim wrote:
>
> > For those following the saga:
> >
> > I did as suggested and pulled the cross member (48-year-old bolts are
not
> > easy to remove), and that got me able to pull back the ball and get at
the
> > u-joint. When I got the ball pulled back (after supporting the
driveshaft
> > with a floor jack and jack stand, a few chunks of metal fell to the
> > ground. Turns out what happened was the rear yoke on the u-joint had
what
> > we call in the engineering profession a "catastrophic failure." I'll
post
> > some pictures of the thing on my web site shortly -- it's quite
> > impressive. The U-shaped part of the yoke has split in two, and the
shaft
> > part is now in three pieces that don't appear to have ever fit together.
> >
> > Next week, after I get back from my vacation, I'll double-check the
> > splines on the drive shaft, as well as the rest of the hardware
involved,
> > to make sure there was no other damage from this failure, and then pay a
> > visit to Mile High Classic to get a new u-joint. Unfortunately, I can't
> > afford to do what I really want, which is to replace the entire
> > transmission and rear end. That will come later.
> >
> > Thanks to everyone for their help.
>
> Tim Lloyd, lloyd@lasp.colorado.edu
> "Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been
> sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful,
> rebellious, and immature." -- Tom Robbins
> "The eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the
> planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed
> by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace."
> -- John F. Kennedy
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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