Angle of splined yoke on two piece driveshaft

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Does anyone know what angle the splined yoke goes onto the front section of the driveshaft on a C-10 two piece drive shaft?

It is a 71 C-10 with the factory two piece drive shaft and the yoke fits onto the front shaft just to the rear of the midship bearing support.

The service manual is not clear and the illustration is of the older style drive shafts so it is not much help.

Assistance will be appreciated!

Jim

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Ttt

[Green Machine]

Are you trying to index the shaft ? If so the ones I've had apart will only go one way as 2 of the splines on the shaft are pinched together and will only go in the double wide slot in the yoke. Else if not splinded one way use my crude graphic here .

O---------------O }---------------{

[fastwillie 696969]

Originally Posted by Green Machine

Are you trying to index the shaft ? If so the ones I've had apart will only go one way as 2 of the splines on the shaft are pinched together and will only go in the double wide slot in the yoke. Else if not splinded one way use my crude graphic here .

O---------------O }---------------{

Ever notice that there are more Mondays than Fridays ?

Ever notice that more people call in sick on mondays than fridays?

[JimKshortstep4x4]

The keying of the splines does not work as it will go on in any orientation.

In your drawing is the } { the front shaft and does the splined yoke match up parallel with the front trunion or the trunion on the front yoke.

Sorry for the questions, there are too many ways to line it up. This is my first time with a splined yoke where the key function was not there.

Jim

[Sweet72]

On my 72 the female splines on the yoke have one wide groove and the rest are narrower lands and grooves. The male splines on the drive shaft have one land that has been upset from its original location so it will only index with the wide groove in the yoke. I didn't know these shafts were made so that they could be oriented in any position. ???? Checked mine just now and the front shaft yokes (trunions) are parallel to one another not 90 degrees from eachother.

[Green Machine]

Look at the back half of the shaft only, both joint caps form a straight line, pretend the front half was welded like the back half, line up joint caps in front half so they form a straight line also.

If you start at the back, in the rear end, assume the cap was pointed to the side, then the next cap on the shaft would be up, then up, then side,then side, then up in front yoke, gotta get it right or it will shake then break. Hope that helps.

[72402]

It's called timing. If you have three u-joints, one of them has to be at 90 degrees from the others. Doesn't matter as long as they're lined up. If in doubt, stretch a string down the entire length of the shaft on top of the caps.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Thanks for the replies, I understand what I have to do. There must be something wrong with my shaft or the yoke as I have never seen one that was not keyed to go on one way only.

Jim

[Blazer1970]

I believe that it is not keyed because it does not make any difference how it is installed.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Tim,

I am pretty sure that they were keyed when they were new. I have installed dozens of the the midship bearing supports in the two piece drive shafts and they were all keyed.

This particular drive shaft had a very difficult to remove yoke. Normally they can be tapped off but this one I had to make up a special setup so as to use a press and it took heating and over 10,000 lbs. to press it off. When I tried to put it back together it would not go on oriented as described by the other guys so I started questioning how it should be installed. It would fit on at 90 degrees to the front yoke and as they pointed out it should be in line. I got even more confused by the service manual as it described rotating the yoke by (4) splines. The problem being the 71 manual was describing the 70 and older driveshafts which are different.

Anyway I will be installing the yoke to be in line as described doing what ever it takes to make it fit.

Jim