U-Joint brands

xj92 · Dec 10, 2003

What brands are good or does brand matter when dealing with 260x joints? I think I may have broken one and am going to tear it apart sometime over the weekend and replace them whether they're busted or not since they've got 102K on them. Spicers run about $25 and Auto Zone joints run $8, haven't checked others. I'm thinking seriously about the cheapies since I'd rather get new shafts/bigger joints anyways.

bradlyw · Dec 11, 2003

spicers are the only thing i'll run on mine. seen too many cheapies fail when there was no reason for them too.

go with genuine Dana/Spicer

Brad

ryurabbit · Dec 11, 2003

stay with dana spicer and spot weld the caps. Its only a matter of time if you wheel at all that you be breaking a 260 u-joints but they will last longer than autozones.

Dazz · Dec 11, 2003

Speaking of which, anyone know if any of the chain autopart stores (Pepboys, Napa, etc...) carries the Spicer brand U-joint?
Reason I ask is that, I've gone into AZ and asked for Spicer u-joints. They looked at me like wth are you talking about "Spicer".

ACE · Dec 11, 2003

Dazz said:
Speaking of which, anyone know if any of the chain autopart stores (Pepboys, Napa, etc...) carries the Spicer brand U-joint?
Reason I ask is that, I've gone into AZ and asked for Spicer u-joints. They looked at me like wth are you talking about "Spicer".

Last time I was at Napa, I saw a Spicer catalog behind the desk so I'm pretty sure if they don't stock it, they could get it.
I actually have the AZ cheapies in mine right now and they have lasted the last two years of wheelin. I would definitely stay away from the "Brute" brand or something like that that Pep Boys sells. Went through two sets in one year. (yeah, only took me twice to learn :laugh3: )

Safari Ary · Dec 11, 2003

I know NAPA does, and I *think* pepboys does. They carry the dana line of TREs for sure(just bought some).

Ary

Prepmech · Dec 11, 2003

Autozone's best u-joints are the brute force and are not very good, and their cheaper ones are even worse.

Has anyone tried the spicer off-road u-joints? I have a friend that works at napa who says he can get them, and that is all that he will run in his explorer. They have the grease zerts on the ends of the caps instead of in the cross, as the holes drilled in the cross makes it weaker.

Goatman · Dec 11, 2003

Warn did a test on u-joint strength a few years back that was published in the magazines. The Spicer joints were stronger than all the rest, I think Nepco/Napco (?) were second, and the Brute Force joints were in the upper half.

Spicers can be hard to find, since they are an OEM part, not aftermarket. You can always get them at a GM dealership or any driveline shop. The best prices could be the from the various 4x4 vendors, like Drivetrain Direct, etc. Plenty of ads in the 4x4 mags for Spicer u-joints.

2offroad · Dec 11, 2003

i just saw in a mag. that tom woods has a new joint that even warranties the shaft if the joint fails.

RobertF · Dec 11, 2003

I saw the Tom Woods joints also in one of my new mags, but assumed from the aplication numbers that they were for the rear driveshaft, not front axleshafts. But he probably would be a good source of what brands are strong and what to stay away from in driveshafts and axleshafts.

ACE · Dec 11, 2003

Goatman said:
Warn did a test on u-joint strength a few years back that was published in the magazines. The Spicer joints were stronger than all the rest, I think Nepco/Napco (?) were second, and the Brute Force joints were in the upper half.

Spicers can be hard to find, since they are an OEM part, not aftermarket. You can always get them at a GM dealership or any driveline shop. The best prices could be the from the various 4x4 vendors, like Drivetrain Direct, etc. Plenty of ads in the 4x4 mags for Spicer u-joints.

Hmmm, Napco are the cheapies I got from AZ on my rig now. Interesting.

xj92 · Dec 19, 2003

I took a look at a Brute Force joint at AutoZone and compared it to my spicer. The brute force is VERY thin throughout the entire middle of the joint compared to the spicer one.

jeepnchris · Dec 19, 2003

xj92 said:
What brands are good or does brand matter when dealing with 260x joints? I think I may have broken one and am going to tear it apart sometime over the weekend and replace them whether they're busted or not since they've got 102K on them. Spicers run about $25 and Auto Zone joints run $8, haven't checked others. I'm thinking seriously about the cheapies since I'd rather get new shafts/bigger joints anyways.

You would know - without any doubt- that you broke a u-joint in the front. If you did break a u-joint most likely you destroyed both the ears on the inner and outer shafts. For inexpensive joints I wouldn't go with anything weaker than a Spicer joint, CTM would also work - but they are very expensive.

Chris

XJMark · Dec 19, 2003

The NAPA branded U-joints are pretty beefy too. Doing a visual comparison the NAPA U-joints were the same size as the stock Spicers but were a little tougher to get in because they were just a hair thicker than the worn out Spicers I had in there.

Mark

xj92 · Dec 19, 2003

I ended up just getting new Spicer shafts that came with 297x joints, I just wanted to put that on this thread for information for anybody else. And you're right, I didn't break the joint. The noise was coming from my sway-bar disco that had dropped down into my spring. It got all mangled

. Time to design a better way to keep them up.

93xjmark · Dec 19, 2003

xj92 said:
I ended up just getting new Spicer shafts that came with 297x joints, I just wanted to put that on this thread for information for anybody else. And you're right, I didn't break the joint. The noise was coming from my sway-bar disco that had dropped down into my spring. It got all mangled . Time to design a better way to keep them up.

I'm looking to replace mine with the Spicer shafts and 297x joints. Any one know who has the best prices? My local supplier can't get the spicer brand shafts so I need to mail order. T.I.A.

xj92 · Dec 20, 2003

Kiatek - Tucson, AZ
520-624-2947
new Spicer shafts with 297x Spicer joints installed
$135 each side

Dazz · Dec 20, 2003

Just to confirm that NAPA does sell the Spicer 5-760X Joints. I pick two of them up the other day. They're a bit pricey at $27 per joint.

U-Joint brands

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