Major Front Driveshaft Upgrade
With so much lift, the front driveshaft was in no shape to handle the steep angles and not collide with the transmission cross member. Even with the modified cross member to allow for more clearance, the angle was just too steep for the factory driveshaft outfitted with simple u-joints at each end. The truck needed something that can easily handle the steep driveline angles as well as hold up to the heavy-duty workload that has been the truck was designed for.
The new front driveshaft was created from the original factory installed shaft which has been slinging grease for over 13 years. I sent the unit to Jess at High-Angle Driveline where the pros removed the yoke which would normally mate at the transfer case and they replaced it with a heavy duty CV joint designed for one-ton trucks. However, this required removing the yoke from the transfer case and replacing it with a flange to allow the shaft to bolt on. As luck would have it, I found that our t-case has 31 splines. Normally, according to Jess, they usually have 32 splines. However, not to worry, Jess and his crew were able to save the day by finding the flange needed to make the swap possible.
Now there was only one problem left, appearances. The paint that was applied at the shop looked great, but it only masked the layers of grease and the poor condition of the metal below. I went ahead and took the driveshaft apart at the slip yoke. Then a grinder was used with a heavy duty wire wheel brush to remove as much rust and scale as possible. I even used a Dremel to get into the hard to reach spaces around the u-joint. Once cleaned, it received good coating of Cast Blast paint. Thick and durable is how you could describe it. After making it look brand new, the driveshaft was reassembled and installed on the truck.
To get the driveshaft on the truck, I first had to remove the yoke from the transfer case. This required a 1¼” impact socket and an impact wrench to remove the retaining nut. Once loose, the yoke was removed, the dust washer and seal were set aside. Then the new flange yoke was slid into place, the seal and washer replaced and the retaining nut re-installed. Now, the CV joint simply bolted on to the flange. Then I secured the u-joint into the yoke of the Dana 60.
Now the truck has a bulletproof, hardcore, high-angle driveline from the transfer case to the front axle. Be sure to check out the scoop on the rear driveshafts.