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I am in the process of reuniting my original driveshaft to my 1970 Corvette. It has likely been out of the car for 30 years. The previous owner saved nearly everything when I purchased the car and I am just getting around to reuniting it with the correct rear end. After cleaning up the driveshaft, I found it has a green paint dab at one end. Is there a factory orientation commonly accepted as original regarding this "inspection mark"? I have installed new zirk-less ujoints and I would like to install the driveshaft in a factory consistent orientation, if that information is available. Thanks for any help. PS It's a big block, 4-speed coupe.
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Tony -
Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Did you find a green mark on the differential ? I would go out on a limb and say that end would go toward the rear end. Do you still have the yoke on the drive shaft when you got it? Was it just open on both ends? Do you have a AIM, if not you should pick one up great for how the factory put the cars together. -
Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
On my 67 the green daub is toward the transmission......Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
That is what I love about this board, someone will never answer the original question for days. Then all of the sudden they come out of the woodwork, why is that? I know people have seen the question? That is what makes this the best organization, and the best technical board for old worn out corvettes.Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
I did not find marks on the differential. The driveshaft was without the transmission yoke. It only had the original u-joints in place. I do have an AIM but didn't have it at work when I wrote the entry. I'll check now....
AIM does have a note for the driveshaft under the M40 (automatic transmission) regarding the paint mark:
When assembling prop shaft to differential carrier, position paint mark on prop shaft inline with paint mark on pinion flange of differntial carrier.
Wow. I have evidence from actual observations paint was on other end. I have a restored differential carrier with no markings, and this note is in with M40 section of AIM, not M20,21,22. My tranny is the M-21.
Is there any more original evidence of paint location on driveshaft from undisturbed cars of the era out there? I'll have to check the transmission yoke for evidence of green paint.TonyComment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Still have my original owner 70 in the garage. I will take a look at it later today and see if I can find any paint on the driveshaft and pinion flange of my M40 optioned 70. What does your AIM have about a 70 with turbo 400 optioned 70 having straps securing the half shafts?Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
This question was only about 7 hrs old. Many of us don't read this every hour or everyday for that matter. I tend to go back and scan inputs based on Corvette year and open those that I might have input for.....Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Jim,
I could not find very much regarding straps securing half-shafts for turbo 400. The AIM shows the "U" bolt as PN 2066840 on UPC4 SheetA2 of the AIM. This page also shows a note on the driveshaft which states "Align pint marks" with an arrow and markings at the differential end of the driveshaft and differential pinon. Please let me know what you find on your driveshaft.TonyComment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Typically there was a daub of blue paint on the pinion yoke and shield, and another daub of blue paint on the rear U-joint yoke; those were the two "paint marks" that were noted in the A.I.M. to be aligned.Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
John,
Do you know the rationale for the green markings one end of the driveshaft versus the other end and the rationale for the blue markings on the differential pinion yoke beyond driveshaft orientation?
My driveshaft has green marks on the weight as well as one yoke-end of the driveshaft; there are no markings on the other end where the larger of the two balance weights is attached. The AIM says to essentially orient the green mark to the blue mark. I have pictures that show there may have been two ring markings at one time at the non-marked end of the driveshaft but no more paint remains, just a different surface oxidation pattern. I could post pics with a little help.TonyComment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Tony I did look at what I could see on my driveshaft late last night from just lying beside the car last night, could only get to the passenger side due to temp storage of house furnshings blocking the drivers side. Anyway could only see the front of the driveshaft. On the u-joint yoke going to the turbo 400 I saw a dab of green paint. Could not view the other end of the drive shaft. Will have to jack up the car and get under it. I will make a new post when I can. My driveshaft has only been removed once in its lifetime for u-joint replacement.Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Thanks Jim,
So it is possible that your driveshaft was replaced in the opposite orientation as original.
I looked through my copy of Joe Tripoli's 1953-72 Chassis Restoration Guide and found green (Driveshaft) to blue (Diffential) alignment marks for the driveshaft orientation.
Has anyone observed ring markings around the driveshaft located at the opposite end of the green marks?TonyComment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Tony the one and only time my drive shaft was removed I did it and marked the yoke end with "paper white-out" so I could put it back the same way it was. The white-out is still there, saw it last night when I checked for paint markings and saw the green on the transmission yoke.Comment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Cool. It's nice to know you went through the pains to make sure it went back the way it was built.
Let me know when you get a chance to see the rear diff area for markings.TonyComment
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Re: C3 Original Driveshaft Orientation
Tony -
Don't know the color rationale for the green offhand, but I think Steve Lavigne has some driveshaft photos.
The alignment of the paint marks between the rear U-joint yoke and the pinion yoke was typical of how GM match-marked balanced rotating components, like the flywheel and clutch; the "heavy" side of the flywheel (within production balance tolerances) was "X" stamped, and so was the "light" side of the clutch pressure plate. When the "X's" were aligned during clutch installation to the flywheel, the complete assembly would then be within production balance tolerances. When the clutch was replaced eventually, at that point the "X" on the flywheel was meaningless.Comment
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