U-joint question on C-3

[Tom Sarno]

On my much altered and abused '74 (by the previous owner) I started to change the U joints and noticed that they were all 3 5/8" wide as discribed in an earlier post, but the half shafts have 1 3/16" approx caps on all the joints and the drive shaft has 1 1/6" approx on all caps.

Is this normal?

Thanks
Tom

[Craig S.]

Re: U-joint question on C-3

Tom - the driveshaft has the smaller Ujoint trunions and caps....I have an early 74 L82 4 speed and it has the wider differential yoke. The halfshafts on many later C3's also exhibit the HD caps like the midyear BB's used. My 74 has the cap type halfshaft retention on the stub yokes. Keep in mind, the Ujoints on the halfshafts are all the same size, only the retention means (cap or ubolt) is different. The BB halfshafts were shot peened at the welds in the early years, and received a lime green paint stripe to signify this. I don't know what year this practice stopped, or, if this was also true on C3's and if the non-base 350 engines got this treatment if they got the HD caps on the stub axles or not... Craig

[Craig S.]

Re: U-joint question on C-3- Clarification

My statement "the driveshaft has the smaller Ujoint trunions and caps....I have an early 74 L82 4 speed and it has the wider differential yoke" means the OD of the caps and size of the trunions is smaller, NOT that they are the narrower width U-joint as used in midyear cars. My choice of words was less than clear...Craig

[Tom Sarno]

Re: U-joint question on C-3- Clarification

Craig,

I have an L48 4speed with u-bolts holding the caps to the rears side yokes, but it might not be the original rear. If I understand you correctly, you have the wider (3 5/8") joints in both the drive shaft and the half shafts with the cap OD smaller on the drive shaft and larger on the half shafs?

That is the way mine is set up now.