'64 Half Shaft U-joint correctness?

[Scott Butville]

I need to replace the half shaft U-joints and I plan to have the car flight judged in a year or so. Headquarters has not yet sent my JG. Am I correct in that there will be no deduction as long as the replacement does not have a grease fitting? If not, what is the correct way other than a replacement without a fitting? Or is the deduction so minimal that the no fitting replacement is the most practical way to go? Thanks.

[Mike M.]

Re: '64 Half Shaft U-joint correctness?

the orig. U-joints lacked Zerk grease fittings( they are less likely to grenade under torque than drilled and tapped u joints). I pretty sure, not l00%, that there were no manufacturers Logos on the trunions of the orig. U-joint assemblies. good luck , mike

[Gene M.]

Re: '64 Half Shaft U-joint correctness?

Just to add a little to Mike's post. Be sure to get u-joints that have black buna-N seals and not the red-orange ones I sometimes see being sold as replacements.

[Gary B.]

Black vs. red seals

Scott, Gene,

I've founds that Neapco makes a quality U-joint without a zerk fitting in their Brute-Force series and that the red coloring on the seals can be scraped off with a tooth pick revealing a black seal underneath.

Gary

[Craig S.]

Re: Black vs. red seals

Gary - I discovered the same thing on the brute force Neapco....but I remember Joe posted last year on the correct ones from Spicer....I remember saving the post but it is stored on my old PC right now....Craig

[Gary B.]

Spicer U-joints

Craig,

I've got all of Joe postings about the history of the mid-year U-joints and part numbers and I've also compared current Neapco and the Spicer U-joints to the original U-joints from my '66 and from another '66 and the Neapco brute-force U-joints are closer in terms of the cosmetics than the current Spicer ones.

Gary

[Craig S.]

Re: Spicer U-joints

Gary - thx for the input...I guess I "accidentally" got a good match. I still have quite a few origninal GM used spiders from halfshafts I have pulled apart in my travels, do you know if GM still offers the rebuild kits with new caps and needles? Some of these used ones were really in pretty decent shape, other than the seals etc. Thx!...Craig

[Gary B.]

GM rebuild kits available? I don't know.

Craig,

I don't know if GM still makes the rebuild kit, but it sounds like a good question for Joe Lucia.

Gary