Front driveshaft double cardan u-joint replacement?

Matt Saunoras · March 5, 2015

That Spicer seal is dimensionally wrong as I found out today when I got here and checked the old seal. All I could do was proceed without changing it.I did get the double cardan together, it almost went off without a hitch but not quite, it was a pain to say the least. I didn't get as many pics as I would have liked but I got a few I'll upload.

All in all it feels really good, the true test will be running it on a vehicle. Also if you guys didn't know it Spicer makes their own grease specifically for u-joints. There's a lot of good greases out there and this is one of them.

cbriggs · March 6, 2015

Sweet, I'm going to see if I can get that centering ball kit up here. I have about a dozen core driveshafts I my pile out back. If I can successfully repair a few of them I should be able to get $300 each, as the new ones from ford are $700 plus, and aftermarket ones run about $550 to $600.

Matt Saunoras · March 6, 2015

Neapco 7-0081NG was the centering ball kit I got. We'll see if it holds up.

"NG" is the non-greasable version. I don't know what the greasable version looks like but it's the same number, no NG at the end. Rockford Driveline also has a kit 404-0A that crosses to the Neapco number.

Also found a part number for a 10 pack of the small centering ball seals, N2-86-1298.

Matt Saunoras · March 7, 2015

Well I may have been wrong about that dust boot. I ordered a spicer 2-86-418 and it came in today. I can't check it's exact fitment because my shaft is already assembled but it measures out very close to what i wrote down for the old one. The specs posted for it aren't correct.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Spicer/094/2-86-418/10002/-1

cbriggs · March 7, 2015

Any reason why you didn't use oe ford U-joints Matt?

Matt Saunoras · March 7, 2015

Price initially. I chose Spicer because of the quality but the cheaper joints because I wasn't sure if this would work. If it does work and I feel I can perform this repair again I'll use the non-serviceable 5-1350x. I'm curious to see if a serviceable joint can hold up in this application if maintained.

I believe the OEM u-joint is in fact a Spicer 5-1350x.

8WA Sman · March 7, 2015

If the ford # is a 5C3Z-4635-AA the spicer life series will be a 5-1350x. If you notice the FCA will have a "1350" number on the screen somewhere that will be the u-joint series. I buy most of my u-joints from spicer. I also get my older super duty front axle stub shafts from spicer for qiute a bit less then Ford.

Matt Saunoras · March 13, 2015

I know Spicer supplies Ford with most of their OEM U-joints but I discovered today that 5C3Z-4635-AA is not the same as a Spicer 5-1350x. The Ford u-joint actually appears to be the lesser quality part. The cap seals aren't as sturdy and they don't snap into place like the Spicer version. The seal reminds me more of the greasable version which is designed to be purged.I changed 7 u-joints on an F-550 today and the rear driveshaft and front axles were stamped SPR. The OEM front driveshaft joint has no markings on it.

Also I got another free front driveshaft to rebuild. This one is in a little better shape so I'm going to rebuild it with the Spicer life joints. It was a gift from my best fleet customer. I'm going to make sure that dust boot seal I posted up actually fits.

Here's the 2 u-joint differences. OEM on the left with snap rings and Spicer on the right with C-clips.

8WA Sman · March 13, 2015

This is news to me but my research suggests that Neapco is now Fords u-joint and driveshaft supplier http://www.neapco.com/nC-history.php

I would also go with Spicer one, as you know if the seal fails it's all down hill from there.

I have found this sight to be helpful,gives some good pics. https://www.powertrainindustries.com/catalogs.htm

Matt Saunoras · March 13, 2015

Ahhh then perhaps that's the answer. Maybe the super duty front driveshaft is manufactured by Neapco. That would explain why they're the ones who offer a centering ball repair kit and are the suppliers of the OEM u-joints.

I heard once from someone that the Dana Spicer and Neapco plants are right next door to each other and they sometimes trade work back and forth. Not sure if its true or not.

Matt Saunoras · April 11, 2015

I finally made it to the final phase of my driveshaft rebuild :haha2:Today I installed the front u-joint and greased the splines. Rather than order a new Ford boot/clamp kit I just purchased aftermarket 50mm stainless crimp clamps. They aren't exactly the same width but are close enough.Put it in my truck, locked the hubs in and put about 45 miles on it so far. Seems just fine.

Matt Saunoras · April 11, 2015

Also here is the only way I can figure to get grease into these fittings.Took my new grease needle and put a slight bend into it. Not only does it access the flush mount fittings I put in the driveshaft but it also gets grease into 99-04 upper balljoints too.

cbriggs · April 12, 2015

I now have 8 core shafts in my collection. I figure I should be able to build 5 or 6 out of them. Another project I don't have time for...

Matt Saunoras · April 12, 2015

I have 2 cores now and enough parts to build one. The one from my truck has u-joint end caps that are starting to crack which is why I took it out yesterday.

Matt Saunoras · April 16, 2015

Well some bad news about that center ball dust boot I posted up. I can possibly make it work, it's dimensionally similar to the original seal but it's not the same. The inside diameter where it presses onto the shaft is about .005" too large so it won't engage the lip on the shaft. I could probably glue it on but I'll decide that later. I need to do some more digging and maybe call a few driveshaft shops to see if I can find the exact seal.

Matt Saunoras · February 16, 2019

Well you never know when you'll need a bit of knowledge from your past. I'm glad I tackled this project almost 4 years ago.

Yesterday I rebuilt another front driveshaft, this one from an 03 F-550. The ones I had done from this thread were 05+.

I had an extra dust boot seal stashed away in my toolbox and while they don't fit the 05+ driveshafts it does appear Spicer 2-86-418 does fit the 99-04 driveshafts, it fit the 03 perfectly. Also Neapco 7-0081NG fits too.

This one will be thoroughly tested, these drivers almost never unlock the hubs

66glide · February 16, 2019

I have done a lot of rebuilds on these. They last ok here in rural Manitoba, and are way cheaper than a new shaft. They also bring in more labour hours.