Driveshaft damage

Discovered this while greasing my driveshaft. I hear driveshafts can quickly get much weaker dented, but I’m inclined to think this shouldn’t have weakened it by much. I could use a second opinion. Zerk fitting is also buggered up, anyone know what size thread it is?

Thanks-
Mike

 

Doesn’t look too bad, but first time you get on the throttle trying to get your truck unstuck or something similar is when it will most likely turn into a twizzler

 

Shaft dont look bad. I would just put new joints in her n call it goid.

 

It'll be more likely to twist when it's dented but that's really more of an issue when you're in low range and really torquing the driveshaft. My $0.02 is a dent like that is more of a problem daily because it causes it to be out of round and out of balance. That will wear your u-joints faster. I'd take it into a driveshaft shop and have them rebuild it and check it for true and balance. They'll tell you if it needs to be re-tubed or not.

 

Joints? You mean zeros?

 

Zerk fittings are pretty std. Go to your local parts house they should have them shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks. Yes denting your driveshaft can weaken it and cause vibrations since it can get knocked out of balance and possible straightness. That being said I have been driving on mine like this pic for several thousand miles and wheeling pretty hard. This includes 2 500 mile trips. Can't find the pic but I've got a couple dents at the back of the driveshaft as well that are a little worse than yours. My plan is to find a junkyard one then have this one retubed as a spare.

 

Zeros? You mean zerks? Lol

 

In addition to being harder on the universals, being out of balance isn’t going to do your pinion and trans shaft bearings and seals any favors.

 

Lol yes, fucking spell correct.

 

Yeah, maybe I should pull it at least to have it inspected.

 

Prob won’t be too bad to have a new tube welded in. Not like you need a whole new shaft.

I’ve often thought about designing a drive shaft skid of sorts. Connected at tcase cross member and diff, heims at both ends. Maybe just thick wall box steel...

 

That driveshaft doesn't look that bad at all !!!

I remember quite a few years ago grenading a front d/shaft on my old Jeep Rock Crawler . I used my hi lift Jack handle for my driveshaft and it got me off the trail


If you want to see driveshaft carnage go to a dragstrip , you'll see a few !! . Sitting on the 2 step with the transbrake engaged at 5k rpm on a sticky track will easily pretzel a driveshaft !!!

 

How?

 

Yup, exactly what I’d like to avoid. Not to spendy to fix now, gets a lot worse later and I don’t want it ruining a trip.

 

Yeah. Cheap insurance to fix it now rather than deal with it on the trail, miles from anywhere.

 

Had a friend with me in another jeep with us equipped with premiere products onboard welder , he also a certified welder . The front driveshaft on older jeeps is about the same dia as a hi lift Jack handle

Cut of the damaged section of driveshaft and spliced in the Jack handle !!!

 

Exactly. I've grenaded many myself over the yrs. Lots of power and traction=hell on driveline components. I could't keep axles under my Eclipse.

 

Yep !! I destroyed a 1500 hp rated aluminum driveshaft coming off the transbrake on a tight track once . Looked like a grenade went off

 

My axles were rated for the same I had custom CVs made and 300m shafts. When all 4 tires hook at 1100 hp to the wheels shits gonna brake. Twisted a bunch on my mild fox body on really sticky tracks. Also grenaded quite a few diffs that were very stoutly built. A dragstrip is the proving grounds for how tough that stuff needs to be.

 

On my old truck I built a 1/4" support similar to what you're talking about, sort of a carrier bearing, front half driveshaft and exhaust protector.

The problem is that you can't really tuck anything close to the half beyond the carrier since it moves with the axle and the gas tank is in the way. But this was pretty effective in protecting the belly on that truck. I'd already gone to heavy wall tubing on my driveshafts and didn't want to go one-piece since I like the two-piece for protecting it as much as possible.

It was crude for sure, since I was limited in what could be done in a garage. Mark II would have tucked up better but it was substantial and so I had no worry about it dragging over stuff.

You can kind of see, there are two "L" brackets welded on each frame face so I could take the plate off with 4 x 1/2" bolts holding it on.