[schinkelm]

Looking to upgrade rear driveline to 1480 u joints, is their any pre fabbed driveshafts with 1480 yokes or do i have to go with a custom fab? My truck is a ext. cab short bed if that matters..

Thanks,
Mike

 

[New to me GMC]

Looking to upgrade rear driveline to 1480 u joints, is their any pre fabbed driveshafts with 1480 yokes or do i have to go with a custom fab? My truck is a ext. cab short bed if that matters..

Thanks,
Mike

I haven't seen where anyone has one "pre made" ready to order. But i have built a handful of them and i can tell you the Price tag is i think around $625 for a complete shaft and the diff yoke.

If memory serves, they are are about 61" center of U-joint to center of U-joint.

 

[6dot6]

got my driveshaft from Driveshaft Specialist Inc. so far so good. they might have what your lookin for. not sure if we have a driveshaft vendor so i think i may be ok posting that?

 

[New to me GMC]

got my driveshaft from Driveshaft Specialist Inc. so far so good. they might have what your lookin for. not sure if we have a driveshaft vendor so i think i may be ok posting that?

No driveshaft vendors that im aware of, but there is a forum member who builds driveshafts and is pretty familiar with the subject

 

[6dot6]

oh really? whos that? does he make a single piece aluminum shaft 5 inches round? cool bro.

 

[New to me GMC]

oh really? whos that? does he make a single piece aluminum shaft 5 inches round? cool bro.

The stock CCSB and ECLB aluminum shafts are 5" around......

I could most definitely build anything you can find on the web. The shop i work at is also the only shop between Buffalo and the NYC metro area that repairs and builds Aluminum driveshafts.

 

[6dot6]

wow they get 5 inchers. wth. i went from a 2 to 1 pc. it wasnt 5 inches tho and was steel.

 

[New to me GMC]

wow they get 5 inchers. wth. i went from a 2 to 1 pc. it wasnt 5 inches tho and was steel.

In your current truck? The only trucks that had 2 pieces from the factory after 02 or 03 were CCLB and 2wd trucks. Replacing a factory aluminum driveshaft or 2 piece with a steel driveshaft is borderline unsafe and runs the risk of the driveshaft experiencing a critical speed failure

Like the shaft picture here, which in this case busted the bell housing, trans case and transfer case.

 

[6dot6]

yeah current truck. they stand behind the driveshaft so well see. its the same diameter as my exhaust. looks stout and so far so good. they told me i wouldnt break it. mission accepted.

 

[6dot6]

 

[astolte21]

I have an 02 quad cab short box that had a two piece steel drive shaft, the slip yoke kept catching and pushing the carrier bearing out of the clamp so i went to a local drive shaft place he made me a one piece drive shaft out of steel. He told me it was the longest one he had ever made, at 74 in he used heavy walled 4 in steel pipe. I asked how about the aluminium ones, he said that he could do it but when you get that long, the aluminium ones start to noodle at high speeds and under heavy loads. That's all i needed to hear to avoid that.

 

[New to me GMC]

i have an 02 quad cab short box that had a two piece steal drive shaft the slip yoke kept catching and pushing the carrier bearing out of the clamp so i went to a local drive shaft place he made me a one piece drive shaft out of steal he told me it was the longest one he had ever made at 74in he used heave walled 4in steal pipe. i asked hi, about the alunimun ones he said that he could do it but when you get that long the alunimun ones start to noodle at high speeds and under heavy loads that's all i needed to hear to avoid that.

Guess what, GMs update for that was a single piece aluminum driveshaft. And a steel shaft will "noodle" more than an aluminum shaft. Further more, the reason your 2 piece kept puking carrier bearings was because the wrong replacement bearing was installed.

Any driveshaft builder building a steel driveshaft at that length that will turn the RPMs the shafts in these trucks turn is playing with fire. Some of em live and some of em fail. When they fail it the carnage they cause is VERY expensive.

 

[New to me GMC]

yeah current truck. they stand behind the driveshaft so well see. its the same diameter as my exhaust. looks stout and so far so good. they told me i wouldnt break it. mission accepted.

That thing has got to be 85" center of kits. The shaft must be 6" in diameter?

Heavier wall tubing does not raise maximum RPM.

 

[sandpirate]

What type of driveshaft could I replace it with on my dually. Mine obviously is a 2 piece.

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[New to me GMC]

What type of driveshaft could I replace it with on my dually. Mine obviously is a 2 piece.

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Well, apparently some builders think a single piece alum is ok. Im not sold and im going to check the math tomorrow. Unless i find the document with the formula for aluminum tonight.

 

[6dot6]

it was a while since i measured but i wanna say 83 and change? its 5 inch. well see what happens. so far ive towed 11500 ish lbs at speed. been over 100 a lot.

 

[sandpirate]

I pull a 5th wheel at 18k fully loaded. Im not sure that one piece aluminium driveshaft will hold up to that pull weight. I could be wrong though, im not a driveline specialist.

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[New to me GMC]

it was a while since i measured but i wanna say 83 and change? its 5 inch. well see what happens. so far ive towed 11500 ish lbs at speed. been over 100 a lot.

How much horsepower and/or weight is totally irrelevant to a critical speed failure. You could be coasting, if that driveshaft exceeds max RPM it could fold up in the middle and take alot of stuff with it.


SO why do you think the factory used a 2 piece instead of just making the longest Alum shaft 6 or 8 inches longer?

 

[schinkelm]

so should I go with aluminum or steel? Ext. cab short bed..

 

[farmtwin]

My 03 ECLB ZF6 has a two piece steel shaft with 1480 u-joints from the factory. Does anybody know if they make a one piece aluminum update for mine?