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Aftermarket Driveshafts

T

tuckholladay

NAXJA Forum User
Location
New Jersey
Does anyone have driveshaft manufacturer recommendations? I am getting vibes from the front driveshaft after putting my lift on. I took it to be balanced and the guy was like trying to say it could be up to $350 to fix it. I thought it was supposed to be like $100. Anyway I just want to price out new, quality aftermarket shafts also.

Reputable shops in NJ maybe?
 
Try correcting your pinion angle in the front first. Take out or add the shims behind your lower control arm mount on the frame side.

http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm

Should be pretty easy to eyeball. That should get you back to the right spec and no more vibes.
 
How tall is the lift? U joint an cv joint good? How did you narrow it down to the front shaft?

I got my CJ driveshafts from Tom woods. Fair prices and built beefy.
 
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X2 on Tom woods. Actually lost a pinion on the hwy. Threw the shaft. Slapped a u joint in it and it's been fine ever since. I've been looking at Adams drive shafts. Little cheaper, but the tw spines are much beefier for a few extra bucks
 
csailors said:
How tall is the lift? U joint an cv joint good? How did you narrow it down to the front shaft?

I got my CJ driveshafts from Tom woods. Fair prices and built beefy.
Click to expand...

3.5" Rubicon Express. I've seen people say that it gets more than 3.5 inches though.

I took off the front shaft and drove it and the vibes went away to diagnose.

The driveshaft shop it took it to to be rebalanced is calling me telling me it basically needs to be rebuilt. He says he'll build me a brand new one for like $430 or fix up my old one for like $330. It seems like a legit place and I'm sure he'll do a good job. Just not sure if he is BSing me if if I should just get a brand new one for like $300 online. Adams, Tom Woods or something else
 
if the slip shaft is in good condition just rebuild it yourself. three joints and a centering ball should be somewhere around $100-$150. install those then get it balanced. personally... JY shafts are cheap, if would just grab one from there.



poor pinion angle will cause vibration and wear out a shaft/joints.

just saying... its still worth checking.
 
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About 2 years ago I paid $60 at my local driveshaft place to have one shortened and rebalanced.

That was a junkyard piece also. Seems high to me for a rebuild. You can do the joints yourself considerably less expensive as has been mentioned in earlier posts.
 
tuckholladay said:
Does anyone have driveshaft manufacturer recommendations? I am getting vibes from the front driveshaft after putting my lift on. I took it to be balanced and the guy was like trying to say it could be up to $350 to fix it. I thought it was supposed to be like $100. Anyway I just want to price out new, quality aftermarket shafts also.

Reputable shops in NJ maybe?
Click to expand...

If the splines are worn out and they feel like they should be changed the cost could be that high. This is something you can check yourself. The splined slip joint shouldn't flop around. It should be tight. $100-150 is more for u-joints & centering flange. $30-50 for balancing.

I would go with Adam's over Tom Woods but as others have mentioned make sure your pinion angles are correct - LCA's.

Also, changing the operating angle of used/worn u-joints can cause some vibes that could go away after some driving.
 
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md21722 said:
If the splines are worn out and they feel like they should be changed the cost could be that high. This is something you can check yourself. The splined slip joint shouldn't flop around. It should be tight. $100-150 is more for u-joints & centering flange. $30-50 for balancing.

I would go with Adam's over Tom Woods but as others have mentioned make sure your pinion angles are correct - LCA's.

Also, changing the operating angle of used/worn u-joints can cause some vibes that could go away after some driving.
Click to expand...

Why Adams over TW? curious as to your thoughts.
 
VAhasnoWAVES said:
poor pinion angle will cause vibration and wear out a shaft/joints.

just saying... its still worth checking.
Click to expand...

Yeah don't buy shit until that pinion is in spec. I have worn out shafts with sloppy slip shafts and they don't vibe driving at any speed.
 
I've run driveshafts from most of the "major" players in the offroad world over the past 15 years (on various vehicles). The past two years, I've only bought shafts from Adams. They build a nice driveshaft for a very nice price. I have no reason to change at this point.
 
trippled said:
Why Adams over TW? curious as to your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Driveshaft worked great for 3 months on-road. Then cyclic humming started. I thought it was my rear end because how could a TW shaft go bad? Eventually I swapped in some spares & his got so bad it was rattling the doors. I sent it back suspecting the centering flange asking them to replace the unbranded one with a Spicer and let me know if there would be a cost. They sent it back with a NEAPCO and "triple balanced" the driveshaft. They never contacted me. I put that in and it was the same problem. So I gave it down to the local shop & they said it was way out of balance. Last two times I was down there they've had their share of stories about fixing his shafts and said they used to get some parts from him but they were too crappy. It sits on the shelf to this day because I'm tired of messing with it. What I found in talking to others, many have stories about problems with his driveshafts. However, people don't seem that willing to post up on the Internet about it. Tom Woods is a nice guy. I enjoy talking to him. But I don't care for the quality of his driveshafts. I guess they do OK if you're off road only.
 
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md21722 said:
Driveshaft worked great for 3 months on-road. Then cyclic humming started. I thought it was my rear end because how could a TW shaft go bad? Eventually I swapped in some spares & his got so bad it was rattling the doors. I sent it back suspecting the centering flange asking them to replace the unbranded one with a Spicer and let me know if there would be a cost. They sent it back with a NEAPCO and "triple balanced" the driveshaft. They never contacted me. I put that in and it was the same problem. So I gave it down to the local shop & they said it was way out of balance. Last two times I was down there they've had their share of stories about fixing his shafts and said they used to get some parts from him but they were too crappy. It sits on the shelf to this day because I'm tired of messing with it. What I found in talking to others, many have stories about problems with his driveshafts. However, people don't seem that willing to post up on the Internet about it. Tom Woods is a nice guy. I enjoy talking to him. But I don't care for the quality of his driveshafts. I guess they do OK if you're off road only.
Click to expand...

Had this same exact problem with my TW driveshaft, had a local company fix it. Won't buy another.
 
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