WARNING: Partial Rant
I'm putting together an LS with a 5 speed trans (NV3500) 2WD in a SWB. The truck did not come with a driveshaft/drivetrain when I got it. I found an S10 NV3500 on craigslist. The guy sold me an aluminum driveshaft for $25 too that I knew I'd have to shorten. I installed the trans and got the shaft shorten by a local machine shop for $95 but they could not balance it as they aren't a driveshaft shop. Sounded all like a good deal until the transmission turned out to be junk. I found another NV3500 from a Sierra and went to put it in. I knew the s10 trans had different gearing than the 1/2 truck transmissions, but I did not know the 1/2 trans was almost 2 inches shorted than the s10 trans, or that it took a different slip yoke, or that the shifter location is in a different location (I know, I'm amateur)....I now needed a longer driveshaft. Looking online, a new custom shaft would be about $500, so I thought I could do better getting one used and shortening it. Maybe I'd get lucky and find one the right length and with the right slip yoke at the junk yard. Not so lucky, but I found one I could shorten, and this one didn't have the dumb nylon u joint clips the first one had. I paid $75 for the shaft. Then I bought the slip yoke online for $80. I took the shaft to a driveshaft shop (now there is a local one where I moved to). They charged $300 for shortening it, adding 2 u joints, and balancing. Seems high to me, but if you can't tell already, I'm building blind over here. To be fair, if someone gave me $300, its not like I could shorten a shaft. Plus, they seemed to have done a nice job and even polished this thing. Its the shiniest part on the truck. Photos include the shaft next to the older shaft thats too short for reference.
Apologies for the rant. But did I get taken for a ride or is that price reasonable?
Thanks for listening/reading.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
