Driveshaft UJs

[christopher storey]

Whilst overhauling rear brakes on my FHC, I found the whole apparatus stiff to turn in certain parts of the rotation. Then I noticed this ( same on the Inner UJs on both sides )


On dismantling I found that the UJ was seized solid in one plane . Has anyone ever had this before ?

And should I shell out £70 X 2 , SNGB deluxe, or £13.80 X 2 , SNGB el cheapo ??

[Mich7920]

Hi Christopher,

Before ordering new parts, I take off the old one to see if they hadn't destoy a part of the driveshaft.
For the price of the parts in general, there is too much topic with guys who said the repro are bad to buy some cheap one!
It's of course more expensive when it's not built in China.

Mich

[angelw]

Hello Christopher,
Source the UJ from a bearing supplier. I buy top brand name UJs for this area and Tail Shaft UJs in Australia for AUD18.40 each.

Regards,

Bill

[mgcjag]

Hi Christopher....i need a set for another project.....was looking on the SNG site and they have 3 options this one the middle option is OEM shown by the # after the part number... http://www.sngbarratt.com/ProductDetail ... 7fc6bf&l=7 £27.60 inc

[Hugo]

No grease nipples? I would get the measurements & cross-refer them to Hardy-Spicer or a similar reputable manufacturer. I have noticed there is a difference between manufacturers in the way the seal is located - it has to be able to steer the water that is flung out by centrifugal force past the outside of the bearing cup - not into it!
I have a very short propshaft on my coaches & they sometimes do this, so I've learned from experience.

[christopher storey]

Thanks to all for the help. In the end, having spoken to SNGB, and discovered that although they push the OEM ones, they have had no complaints about the cheap ones, being a skinflint i have ordered 2 lots of the cheapos. I'll let you know how I get on - anything has to be better than the totally seized joints , the like of which I've never seen before in nearly 60 years of fiddling with cars !

[ETTony]

FWIW I would replace all 4 UJ's while faffing with the drive shafts.

[rswaffie]

I've just replaced all drive shafts & pop shaft U/J's and found Bailey Morris to be a good source of both parts and knowledge - they had other classic props in for work. If you know the part nos. or specs then that helps, but they can source if you don't know. They also balanced my prop shaft after I had replaced the u/j's. They weren't too far from me either so I could pop down and see the whites of their eyes!
http://baileymorris.co.uk/

[Hugo]

Don't know about these, but in the past I've come across some very strange dimensions for u/j's. They don't always come in round numbers or sensible fractions, either in inches or in Napoleonic measures.

[christopher storey]

Well, Hugo, for anyone who wants the specs, they are GKN 18200 or Hardy Spicer HS 179, and the dimensions are 30.2 mm X 106.3 mm

I may say that getting the ( I think 52 year old ) ones out was a nightmare . We tried the scientific methods with vices etc first , ( and with nearly 250 lb/ft applied to the handle I budged one just about 3mm ) and then resorted to the BFH which was more effective . I have yet to be brave enough to try and put the new ones in

[mgcjag]

Hi Christopher.....be wary of fitting the circlips....some of the new ones appear to be stamped out so one side has slightly rounded edges.....so dont grip in the recess very well...Steve

[JagWaugh]

The last couple of driveshafts I have taken to the local GKN shop. It costs a bit, but they are done within 48 hours: Genuine GKN joints, with zerks, properly fitted clips, painted, balanced.

One I dropped off at about 15:00, he called me just before lunch the following day to say I could pick them up at 16:30.

Probably worth considering if you're not all that familiar with fitting U/Js, or even just to be sure that the balance is ok.

Next time I'll probably wait until I've checked the hub spacers, then take the full set.

[Series1 Stu]

I had to take an angle grinder to one of my UJ's and carefully grind a journal out. That then allowed the main part of the spider with the 3 free journals to fall out and made it possible to remove the troublesome 4th journal.

It wouldn't be as much fun if it was all plain sailing....

Regards

The Jaguar manual suggested method is hilarious. Although I'm sure it would work fine if you installed the joint no more than 5 minutes before removing it.

[christopher storey]

be wary of fitting the circlips....some of the new ones appear to be stamped out so one side has slightly rounded edges.....so dont grip in the recess very well

Steve : Thanks for the warning ; I shall have a look at them under magnification and see if I can spot the sharp side

and Stuart : if all else failed the grinder ( or my pal's milling machine ) was the next resort !

[phil.dobson@mac.com]

I also had issues with the circlips. flipping nightmare! fortunately I had some of the original type from previous exercises so used them. Not sure why someone decided to improve on a circlip design that had been in existence since God was a boy. You might also give Rob Beere a call as he advertise 'upgraded u/j's
Best regards