Picking up my 14bff & D44.

[Kapdin]

also thanks by the way curt, like i had said before i met you guys i had never touched a square before so ura learnin me good. Also update i took apart my old rear springs and packed one in thos new 3/4 ton sets and wow lol they got tall and did the same to the front so now i got 3/4ton "add-a-leaf's" all around. I rolled the rear in and under the truck with thos tires and O-DAMN it looks good and tall lol. just need to hook up the drive shaft and brakes and wait for my new u-bolts for the rear then time to rip the front out. I also forgot to snag thos holders that the rear u-bolts go throught since this axle is twice the size of my old 12b. so need to run to the junk yard again.

 

[crazy4offroad]

The combo joint isnt really weak, I ran a 3R/1330 combo for a while in the front and a 1310/1350 combo in the back. They are friggin expensive though, in the $20 range.

 

[bucket]

The conversion joints are only as weak as the smaller size. So a 1310/1350 joint is just as strong as a standard 1310 joint.

 

[Kapdin]

Hey gents, so i got the old u-joint out FINALLY. And picked up a 1310/1350 joint and guess wat... even the 1310 was one size to big... wat kinda of POS drive shaft do i have? so for kicks and giggles i put a set of caps from a u-joint i bought from rock auto a while ago for when i still had the 1/2 ton axles and thos were the right size to fit in the drive shaft so i pressed it in and the whole joint was to big as in it didn't go together far enough to put the clips in .... so i took it all apart and put all the joints back together and going to take them back and took the drive shaft off and going to the junk yard tomorow to see if i can find a bigger one. So wat trucks should i look for? any square body 3/4 ton? can i look at one ton's? or gmt400?

 

[HotRodPC]

3/4 ton would be your best bet. That's what the axles came out of right? Then the Tcase end should also be the same with the 32 spline yoke. Only thing that won't fit without mods, if it you get one from a truck that has a slip yoke delete and bolts on.

 

[Kapdin]

Hey guys this drive shaft is kicking my ass, so went to the junkyard for 2hrs today and not a single drive shaft that will work for me, tons and tons of 3/4 or 1 ton drive shafts with slip yokes but not a single one with splines. wat is my deal? is there two diff size 14b u-joint cradles? and maybe the guy at napa screwed up the combo joint he gave me was a presicion 447. Can i just change out something to make it a slip yoke drive shaft?

 

[Kapdin]

...well yea i just found out the guy at napa screwed up i need a presision 348.... but still bothers me that ill have a 1/2ton drive shaft and u joint on this thing...

 

[Kapdin]

You must be registered for see images attach

...THIS is wat it should look like huh? so my 1/2 ton is backwards. You know i prolli passed these drive shafts up at the yard cus the one end has a small u-joint but never checked the slipyolk u-joint.

 

[HotRodPC]

So your Transfer case being NP203 is probably slip yoke deleted, or actually is NON Slip Yoke since I believe Fixed bolted on Yoke is what NP203's came with. To be exactly what you need, you're going to need a driveshaft out of a 74-79 3/4 ton. You truck is long bed right?
All 73's were NP205, and they might have been Fixed yoke too, worth a try to check if you find a 73, and all 80's got NP205. In those I believe and not 100% certain, Auto's were slip yoke, SM465's were Fixed. Ideally, the 74-79 3/4 K20's should be an exact match on what you need.

 

[bucket]

You must be registered for see images attach

...THIS is wat it should look like huh? so my 1/2 ton is backwards. You know i prolli passed these drive shafts up at the yard cus the one end has a small u-joint but never checked the slipyolk u-joint.

The shaft pictured is installed backwards. I believe it fit's either way, but some guys run them backwards so the stronger end is what hits the rocks and trees.

All 203's were fixed yoke. I believe '80 was the first year for a slip yoke on any 4x4.

 

[Kapdin]

Hey guys i went back to the junk yard at the end of the day and found a beat up 3/4ton driveshaft with that yoke on it which had to be installed that way i showed in the picture because it had a full 1350 u-joint on the yoke and then 1310 on the driveshaft which must have been on the transfercase. sooooo i stole the yoke off of it and took it home. So then i pressed in a new 1350 u-joint into the yoke and installed in on the 14b with my new bolts and straps. The pressed in a new 1310 joint my driveshaft and went to install it and first thing i ran into is that lock cap/nut thing that keeps the shaft from pulling off the yoke was the wrong size........soooooo luckly i had the beat up one from the 3/4ton and bent it straight and cleaned it up and then put it on, so at this point i know the yoke is bigger. Then the second iffy suspistion , my 1/2ton drive shaft has the right amount of splines and slides into the 3/4 yoke but holy is it sloppy.....anyone else run into this? i never messure the OD of the splines but i would have thought it should be tighter. Comparing to my front drive shaft that has no play at all in the yoke. Maybe after all that its still not going to work with my driveshaft...... FUUUUGGGG ive never had my ass kicked so much.

 

[HotRodPC]

Sorry Bud, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO can do. So you're saying your 1/2 ton spline goes into the 3/4 slip yoke right? Of course. The shaft diameter on the half ton is smaller. You'll end up stripping that 1/2 ton shaft inside the 3/4 ton shaft and tear them both up. Sorry Dawg.

 

[Kapdin]

summmmmmmm beeeeoch... so option one.... put combo joint in 1/2 yolk and drive it. Option 2, spend a few more hrs in the junk yard and hope to find a needle in a haystack.

 

[HotRodPC]

Really, it shouldn't be a needle in a haystack. And you can't get the one from the donor truck you got the axles from right?

Another thing you might try, put an ad on CL in the parts section, WANTED, Driveshaft from 74-79 Chevy or GMC Longbed Standard Cab 3/4 ton 4x4 with Auto Trans/NP203. Many guys don't list driveshafts but have them laying around. Hell, I have about 8 shafts, but none for NP203. All are for Standard Cab long beds, most half tons though.

 

[HotRodPC]

The shaft pictured is installed backwards. I believe it fit's either way, but some guys run them backwards so the stronger end is what hits the rocks and trees.

All 203's were fixed yoke. I believe '80 was the first year for a slip yoke on any 4x4.

I was thinking so too. IIRC, even the SM465 was still fixed yoke in 80 but Autos were slip.