I'm trying to get a driveshaft built for my '64 Valiant convertible, but I'm not having much success.

My ball & trunion joint is in great shape, and I found a new boot, but the shaft can't be shortened enough to mate with the 8-3/4 rear end. The rear cut point winds up in the exact point where the tube changes diameter, so that won't work, and the front assembly can't be cut as there is no centering dimple in the end of the shaft to center it for re-assembly.

The alternative is converting to a slip yoke on the front, and the driveshaft shop said that is no problem if I can come up with a longer driveshaft that can be cut off in the large diameter part of the shaft. The only extra shaft I have is from a '79 Aspen, and the driveshaft shop does not want to use it because the forward portion is filled with a rubber material to dampen harmonics. He said they can explode during cutting and he isn't willing to take a chance.

My question: Does anyone know what year they began using the rubber dampers? There are no wrecking yards within 100 miles that have any old Mopars, so I'd like to know what year driveshaft will work before I start calling the Dallas/Fort Worth wrecking yards. I'm guessing any B or C-body up to the mid-seventies would work, but then I'm only guessing.

I had a 77 Aspen wagon driveshaft in my 65 Valiant for years. It had no rubber thingy.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Mine definitely has rubber inside the shaft. When you tap it, you can hear exactly where it ends, and there is even a white paint mark on the outside that coincides with where the rubber stops.

Apparently the change took place in '78 or '79 for those models.

Why doesn't the driveshaft shop make a "NEW" drive shaft using new tubing, and new front parts. Just reuse the rear "u-joint part from the old shaft.

I had mine done a few years ago, and prices have probably gone up since then.
2-2-349 Flange $31.73
2-153X U-joint kit $7.25
2-3-8001KX slip yoke assy $31.82
2-40-1521 tube shaft $30.15
Labor $56.25

http://www.earlycuda.org/tech/ujoint.htm

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

My local shop couldn't get the yoke needed to match the 8-3/4, as his supplier (Dana/Spicer) quit making them.

Today, I went to another shop 40 miles away, and they said they can make a new shaft. Their parts are made in China, but at this point I have to take what I can get.

FWIW, the owner of the first shop said that the economy has forced many suppliers out of business and parts for even newer cars and trucks will be in short supply until someone decides to start making them again. He said one 2005 Ford truck driveline is made to be a throw away part and the only source for a replacement is Ford. The dealer price is over $800, and no one in the aftermarket has started making them yet.

The parts situation just gets worse and worse.

He could use the rear yoke from your old driveshaft. That's what they did with mine. Everything else was new, including the tube.
Personally, I would stay away from the Chinese garbage, if at all possible.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

No...I would say at this point you need to keep shopping for a driveshaft made out of real parts, not toy ones. They can be had. Chinese garbage will come back to bite you and make you wish you'd held out for real parts instead of toys.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Charlie, if I could use the old yoke, I would, even though it's a 2-1/8" instead of 2-5/8", and I would need an offset U-joint, but according to the shop techs, the old yoke won't fit the new tubes.

I wish I had the luxury of time, but I need a driveshaft next week so the car can go into the paint shop. If I don't get it in for paint, I might have to wait another month or two to get back in the que. It's already been in the mechanical rebuild phase since January and at my age I'm not going to let the car sit for another year to enjoy summer weather. The restoration shop where the work is being done is extremely busy, so I'm at the mercy of their schedule.

Finding parts out here in the boondocks is frustrating. After living in Seattle, where old car yards are a glut, this is quite a shock. I've not found one wrecking yard within 150 miles that keeps any old cars...especially Mopars. Even Dallas and Fort Worth are mostly devoid of salvaged Mopars, so I have to order online and I'm getting tired of paying for parts that are not as advertised, or not for the right car.

After I get the car running, I'll search for good parts and build another driveshaft for a backup.

First off, it sounds like you do not have a "A" body 8 3/4. All of them had the small yoke. Even so you should still be able to use your old driveshaft rear yoke on the new shaft. It sounds like the people at the driveshaft place leave a little to be desired. I had no problems at all. Tell them to get the correct size tube.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Update-I opted to go with all US made parts, and they were able to find them... Neapco and Spicer...all stamped USA. However, be prepared to pay dearly for them. Before I got out the door, it was nearly $400. That was about $100 more than foreign made.