Driveshafts do a big job in our Fords, Mercs, and Lincolns. They take a powertrain's rotary motion and carry it to the differential and drive axles. This is not an easy task. Not only must a driveshaft transmit rotary power without failure, it must articulate with the up-and-down movement of the rear axle as we cruise over highs and lows in the road. Highs and lows range from smooth transitions to really rough ones.
Driveshafts begin as lengths...
Driveshafts begin as lengths of tube stock like this. These aluminum tubes are for driveshafts bound for Mustang Plus.
We visited Inland Empire Driveline (IED) for a closer look at driveshafts, universals joints, and yokes. What we learned from IED applies to every one of our readers out there, so listen up. Even if you're building a restomod with stock driveline components, you need IED to get you on the right track with Spicer universal joints and yokes. This ensures the kind of driveline integrity you need and want for drivers and show cars alike. And when it comes to the driveline, there are no unimportant parts.
If your Ford has a two-piece steel-over-rubber driveshaft, which was popular during the '60s, with automatic applications to absorb vibration, we suggest having a new shaft made. These vibration-absorbing shafts have deteriorated over time to where they're prone to the very thing they were designed to prevent: vibration. IED can make for you a new precision-balanced, one-piece shaft for vibration-free operation.
We're having an aluminum driveshaft made for a '67 Mustang with C4 Cruise-O-Matic and a Gear Vendors (GV) Overdrive unit. This calls for specialized driveshaft fabrication by the experts at IED. Because the Gear Vendors Overdrive unit is 14 inches long, this makes our C4 14 inches longer than it was in stock form. We've measured our application and have concluded our shaft needs to be 37 inches from center to center (universal joints). Pinion angle at the differential will have to change to accommodate the shorter driveshaft. We're going to show you how to do this later in the article.
The driveshaft is a hollow...
The driveshaft is a hollow tube that transmits an engine's power to the rear axle. Disassembled, it doesn't look like much. Here, we have a hollow aluminum tube, aluminum ends, universal joints, and the transmission yoke. Driveshafts are made from aluminum, steel, or aluminum/composite tube stock. The ends are pressed into the 1026 (steel) or T-6061 (aluminum) tube on a jig, then precision-welded to the tube. As you might expect, the quality from IED is impeccable.
IED has our driveshaft specifications nailed down. We need a shaft that's 37 inches center to center. Tom Aragon of IED is going to custom-make an aluminum driveshaft for us designed for a '67 Mustang with GV Overdrive. We'll then show you how to install and set up the shaft.
The driveshaft tube stock...
The driveshaft tube stock is turned in a lathe to have its ends cleaned up prior to assembly.
Assembly begins with the driveshaft...
Assembly begins with the driveshaft ends and universal joints.
The Spicer rear universal...
The Spicer rear universal joint is pressed into the shaft end as shown. Retainer clips are installed next.
Because our GV Overdrive sports...
Because our GV Overdrive sports a huge Spicer 1350 yoke, we need a universal joint that yields compatibility between the 3-inch shaft and the extra-large yoke.
This Spicer joint is 1350...
This Spicer joint is 1350 at the yoke and 1310 at the shaft. Both ends of the shaft are the same size (Spicer 1310) for simplicity.
The shaft tube is set up in...
The shaft tube is set up in a jig, then the ends are pressed into the shaft as shown. A hammer is used to correct irregularities during the press-in process.