Driveshaft damage

That’s pretty cool. I was actually thinking of a piece of tubing that ran parallel to and along the bottom / ground side of the driveshaft. One end connected to the axle / diff housing, the other to the cross member. It would move in parallel to the drive shaft and with the axle articulation.

Maybe that was already clear - I dunno. It would be like an articulating skid for the drive shaft.

 

When I re-read your post I get the heim joint thing now. It would be like radius arms. Heck, you could combine driveshaft skids with doing a coil rear suspension.

 

You would need either on end to have a shackle on it or make it with a slip yoke in it so it can change lengths as the axle goes through its arc.

 

Yeah exactly

 

Good point. Easy enough. Two sizes of box tubing. One to slip inside the other. A couple zerks if ya wanna get fancy...

 

Back in the day when my buddies were into off-roading and I was into racing a couple of them made homemade driveshafts out of box tubing like that on their trail rigs. It was ugly but it worked and was easy to make a new one if they destroyed it.

 

Nah, they mean NIPPLES, but prudes don't like words like that.

 

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. I'd buy a new zerk and call it good.
IF you feel any vibration coming from it, I'd have it checked out. It wouldn't hurt to have it checked out by a good shop but I wouldn't feel like I had to do it tomorrow.