Stupid Question - Rear End Yoke/U-Joint Issue

[arkracing]

I have a '71 K-10 with the (to be believed) original rear axle. I went to put new u-joints in it for the rear driveshaft and had a problem upon re-installing the drive shaft. The front fits into the transfer case fine. The rear ujoint fits into the driveshaft fine but when I put it into the Rear End yoke it is ver sloppy between the little tabs on the yoke. I miced the yoke and it is about 3.315" The U-Joint mics up @ 3.250"ish - so the yoke is almost .100" wider between the cup stops than the New USA "Precision" U-Joint (#369 Joint).

WTF Gives?
I know that there is a u-joint that is longer on 1 axis than the other - I tryed that (#134 Joint) but it is way to long. - I tried it.

is it possible that the yoke wore out because of a previous bad U-Joint slopping around in there???

I stuck a couple of washers in it for the time just to hold it there (I'm not driving the truck anyway).

LMC lists a NEW Yoke for '71-72 CK 5 10 for the 12 bolt for $119 so I'm assuming all 1/2t 12bolt rear ends are the same for those two years? - anybody got an extra that the u-joint actually fits into? (yes i'm a board subscriber - and I have a WTB add already up in the 67-72 parts section)

Thanks,
Andy

[CMars45000]

I had a similar problem on the 14-bolt yoke in my Blazer. The tangs on the yoke were about .150" wider than the u-joint caps... I started to get some really bad vibrations...Replace the yoke and ujoint and all is well (the vibes killed the u-joint)

[Green Machine]

I've found that if you lay a needle or 2 down in the bottom of the cup it takes care of all of that extra slack !!!

Actually it looks like the little ear at the bottom of the yoke on the right side (right side in the pic) looks thinner than the left. Would a little welding and small grinder fix that up ??

[arkracing]

Originally Posted by Green Machine

I've found that if you lay a needle or 2 down in the bottom of the cup it takes care of all of that extra slack !!!

Actually it looks like the little ear at the bottom of the yoke on the right side (right side in the pic) looks thinner than the left. Would a little welding and small grinder fix that up ??

It would be pretty hard to get a grinder in there and get it to the right dimensions. It does kinda look thinner on that side now that you mention it.

Anybody else have this problem?

oh and if I just replace the yoke - do I have to have the clearances in the rear re set up or can I just put it back on there with a new seal and torque it down (don't know why i'm asking that cause I'm not going to spend the $ to have it set up right anyway )

[Green Machine]

Put a mark on the end of the pinion and on the nut with a center punch, lining them up. This will help you get the nut back to the same approx location, however a different yoke may measure slighly different.

Yes, it should have a new crush sleeve, propely torqued to spec giving the proper preload.

However, I use my calibrated right wrist to feel the preload before dissasembly. Use an impact to remove nut, then I use the impact to sneak up on the preload until it feels like it did before or just a hair tighter.

[Bob Moore]

Still have the old one? Maybe try a driveshaft shop rather than a parts house. My brother just had a driveshaft built and the counterman seemed to know everything about yokes and u-joints.