full cicle clips for the axle shaft ujoints

Where do you guys get them?

What size u-joints? I finally found some for 760s at DriveLine Services in West Sacramento. A tip - don't express to these guys how hard they are to find... I got ripped off. Come to think of it... I think I still have a full set if you can't find any.
Billy

At the full circle clip store.





I don't remember what size they are, but any hardware or fastener place that sells snap rings will have them. The first time I got mine I measured the groove in the cap with calipers then just went and bought some.

The exact best fit is actually a metric snap ring. It is the same ID but it's thicker and fits perfectly in the groove, where the SAE size is slightly thinner, but works. I wish I knew the size. I order extras when I get a CTM u-joint.

Goatman said:

The exact best fit is actually a metric snap ring. It is the same ID but it's thicker and fits perfectly in the groove, where the SAE size is slightly thinner, but works. I wish I knew the size. I order extras when I get a CTM u-joint.

Click to expand...

Can't stress how important this is...

If it's not the exact metric measurement, there is a preload issue on the caps. It will WORK with a thinner clip, but understand that there's going to be a slight amount of slop that we've found to create premature wear/failure on the joint. I know a guy who used to sell a kit with a small shim that went inside the bearing caps along with a set of full circle clips. He said the only problem with that was that you had to buy whole sets in bulk (like a couple thousand at a time) to make it worthwhile. I've got a set he had leftover...waiting for me to get new shafts. Haven't broken OEM Spicer shafts yet, so...

ECKSJAY said:

Can't stress how important this is...

If it's not the exact metric measurement, there is a preload issue on the caps. It will WORK with a thinner clip, but understand that there's going to be a slight amount of slop that we've found to create premature wear/failure on the joint. I know a guy who used to sell a kit with a small shim that went inside the bearing caps along with a set of full circle clips. He said the only problem with that was that you had to buy whole sets in bulk (like a couple thousand at a time) to make it worthwhile. I've got a set he had leftover...waiting for me to get new shafts. Haven't broken OEM Spicer shafts yet, so...

Click to expand...

While it is definitely best to use the metric snap ring, plenty of people are running the SAE clips with no problems. Do you have more info on the "we've found to create premature wear/failure on the joint" comment? When this full circle clip thing first started, no one knew to use a metric clip.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but you're comments put a huge exclamation point on this issue, possibly more than it deserves.

ECKSJAY said:

Can't stress how important this is...

If it's not the exact metric measurement, there is a preload issue on the caps. It will WORK with a thinner clip, but understand that there's going to be a slight amount of slop that we've found to create premature wear/failure on the joint. I know a guy who used to sell a kit with a small shim that went inside the bearing caps along with a set of full circle clips. He said the only problem with that was that you had to buy whole sets in bulk (like a couple thousand at a time) to make it worthwhile. I've got a set he had leftover...waiting for me to get new shafts. Haven't broken OEM Spicer shafts yet, so...

Click to expand...

OK, so do you know what the proper size is for the Spicer 297/760 ujoint?

Goatman said:

While it is definitely best to use the metric snap ring, plenty of people are running the SAE clips with no problems. Do you have more info on the "we've found to create premature wear/failure on the joint" comment? When this full circle clip thing first started, no one knew to use a metric clip.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but you're comments put a huge exclamation point on this issue, possibly more than it deserves.

Click to expand...

Metric wasn't readily available when this was first figured out...nor were the clips all that common when this was started. What they were doing was allowing the caps to slide in and out under load, which ended up causing the clips to bow or 'cup', thus actually causing them to come apart. The 'we' comment wasn't necessarily accurate, as this observation comes from a mutual friend of ours in the business. Sorry for the alarm, this is just something that was a real common problem for their shop when the alloy shafts first started making their rounds. They were so popular that the issue of full clips became prevalent. Like I said, there are probably a LOT more options now than there were 10-15 years ago. He knew that what he needed wasn't metric...it just wasn't available except under a 20k unit special order kind of thing. It was easier to get ahold of an SAE clip and SAE shim to make a kit than it would have been to have these clips custom made...at the time anyway.

I'll try and dig up the PN but when I did a group buy on alloy's Randy's wanted $1 a piece... no-lube...
I found the correct SAE units from Mcmaster Carr for a fraction of the cost.

Rawbrown said:

I'll try and dig up the PN but when I did a group buy on alloy's Randy's wanted $1 a piece... no-lube...
I found the correct SAE units from Mcmaster Carr for a fraction of the cost.

Click to expand...

are Randy's metric?

Rawbrown said:

I'll try and dig up the PN but when I did a group buy on alloy's Randy's wanted $1 a piece... no-lube...
I found the correct SAE units from Mcmaster Carr for a fraction of the cost.

Click to expand...

Cool!
Remi

I don't think Randy's are metric. they measured the same as the SAE ones. can't find my invoice from mcmaster carr but a u-joint, dial calipers and page 3048 of the mcmaster carr catalog online should get you the right one.
FYI, the SAE snap rings work well and fit very snug. I've pressed them onto superiors, Warn's, Yukon's and OEM shafts. There is little to no play in the things.