U-Joint info

Might be sticky worthy.

Ok, just finished up researching part numbers for a turbo 400/muncie, 32 spline, slip yoke for the tranny end of the driveshaft.  Hopefully someone could also use this info.  BTW, if your putting in an 1970 (crossover year where the tail spline went from 27 to 32 spline) and earlier muncie in place of a Turbo 350, no driveshaft mods are necessary.  They're both 27 spline and the same length.

Anyway.

1.  The series of the type of joint used in our cars with a muncie or TH400 is 1344.  Very common series with inside "C" clip to retain the bearing caps.  
2.  GM part numbers for this yoke are  #7809762 and the old GM # is # 5696529.
3.  Good replacement part is Neapco brand # N3R-3-9762X.  Prices are all over the place, but I just picked one up for $87 shipped.
4.  Yoke specs are as follows.  
  Length from CENTER of joint to tail end  5.375"  (THIS SPEC IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF TAILSHAFT LENGTH.)
  Outside diameter of splined end is 1.875"
  Barrel length which is the smooth splined end, 3.750"
  U-Joint cap diameter is  1.125"  (1 1/8")
  U-Joint width between the "C" clips is 2.562"
5.  The yoke is referred to as a 3R or S44 Saginaw style.  
6.  Small block and big block cars take the same U-joint (dont quote me but double check for yourself).  U-joint  part    numbers are
     Moog  235
     Moog  534G
     Moog 234
     Lakewood  23011
     TCI  961300
     Spicer 5-3147X (has grease fitting)
     Spicer  5-795X (no grease fitting)
   Some joints have a grease fitting and some dont.  
7.  Miscellaneous U-joint info I found
    Series 1310 joints are  3.219 wide with a 1.062 cap (1 1/16")
    Series 1330 joints are  3.625 wide with a 1.062 cap
    Series 1350 joints are  3.625 wide with a 1.188 cap
8.  Spicer makes "conversion" joints as follows.
      1310 to 1350   Spicer # 5-460X
      1310 to 1330   Spicer # 5-134X
      1330 to 1350   Spicer # 5-648X
    Thats just in case you need to mix and match you yoke and shaft.

Hope this helps someone out!!
Thanks guys.

A very useful post. Thank YOU. JB

I went through this on my Elco, with a TH400, and a FORD 9-inch rear end   Seems that Currie uses the 1330 type yoke on their rear ends, so I built a shaft for the 1330 U-joint on the rear and front, and the Hughes yoke I bought for the TH400 required a 1350 U-joint, so I bought the U-joint from Inland Empire drive line service with 1330 on the shaft side, to 1350 on the yoke side.  Turns out that the combo type U-joint is fairly common. Mine wasn't a Spicer, but some other brand.

And I agree, that your post would be a good sticky item, to preserve that info............

Ditto on the sticky, that's great info.

On that note, though, members have posted little gems of info like that all over the place here, but you have to dig for them. I know Dan's probably too busy, but an interesting future idea would be some kind of section that cherry-picks just those particular posts and organizes them into categorized list of some kind.

Just updated the Spicer U joint part numbers. I added that the first number has a grease fitting and the second number does not. Spicer says that the one with the grease fitting should be greased every 3000 miles for long service life. And it is "cross drilled" so the grease could get to the other caps. The one without the grease fitting is not cross drilled and is the heavier duty version which will not splatter grease onto your chassis. According to Spicer.

Since I've broken a few u-joints in my time, I will be going with the NON greaseable this time. I like the idea of not being cross drilled and forged.

Just my 2 cents.

I have been told (by a ase certified master tech) the non greasable ones are better.

dynchel wrote:I have been told (by a ase certified master tech) the non greasable ones are better.  

The non greasable ones are better, but a greaseable joint can hold a lot of power if installed correctly. I ran greaseable joints in my car weighing 3400 lbs going 10.30's with a trans brake. The trick to a greaseasble joint is to have the joint installed so that the grease fitting is under compression in the direction of rotation of the shaft. A greaseable joint fails when the fitting is under tension and then the joint breaks from the hole. There is no reason a greaseable joint cannot live in a 450 hp street application.

I haven't had a U-joint snap since the late 50s. That one was in a ' Olds powered '46 Studebaker coupe, with a Caddy manual trans mission, and a '50 Merc overdrive rear end, 4.27 ratio....a real fun car ! 

Correct me if I'm wrong here. The front u-joint grease fitting is in compression at the transmission yoke and the rear u-joint fitting at the driveshaft. i.e, the trans yoke is causing compression at the front and the driveshaft causes it at the rear. I hope that makes sense. I'm not sure that I have the words to accurately describe what I'm picturing in my head.

Editing to attach the horrible MSPaint picture of what's in my head:

Yes, the trans yoke is loading the driveshaft, and the driveshaft is loading the rear. So if you look from the trans to the rear, standing the trans yoke ears at 12 an 6, the grease fitting would be in the 1-2 position or 7-8 position. At the rear, the driveshaft ears will be 9 and 3, so the grease fitting would be 4-5 position or 10-11 position. Now let me know if THIS makes SENSE!!!!!!

My zerk fittings are on the bearing cap. But I believe that perfectly answers my question. Thanks!!

Zerks on the bearing cap.  Ive never seen that before.  Wonder if it throws the balance off.or.does it matter.

Joe: Moog Super U-Joints: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mog-253

If you look close enough at the bearing cap there in the forefront you can see the grease coming out of the fitting bung.

Oddly enough, I typed in the wrong product number, our U-joints in that series are 235, but 253 shows the grease fitting bung in the picture, 235 does not.

Actually, I have another question. I removed the old U joints a few months ago and don't remember the body of the U joint being hard to remove. Last night I attempted to install one and could not get the body of the U joint to sit down in between the "ears" of the drive shaft . I removed the two caps, put one cap slightly into the outside of the ear, then from the center tried to angle the u joint down into the cap, but the other side would hit against the top of the other ear, so I couldn't get both sides into the ears. Are these U joints for our cars supposed to be hard to finagle into place? I didn't try very hard or for very long. I've installed U joints on other vehicles before and don't remember ever having this issue. Again I am using Moog 235 U joints.

Been a long time since Ive done them. I usually press one side half way in, install the joint, then install the cap on the otherside all tbe way. Then press the first one in.