Crappy U-joints

[dizzplaced]

I bought some replacement driveshaft u-joints from a local LBC supplier which a)didnt have grease zerks and b)had c clips that were too thick to fit in the grooves so when I naively took a test spin around the block the clips popped out and all the end caps blew apart causing the driveshaft to slam against the body housing and sounded like a jackhammer much to the delight of the neighborhood children. Real fun. Are there any generic brand u-joints I can buy today that are the correct type without going through the usual lineup of LBC supplier crooks? I'd love to get them installed this weekend so I can drive the car off a cliff. thanks.

 

[Guest]

Actually although I know you are a bit unhappy, and I feel your pain, it's only fair to point out that the same UJs were cheaper at TRF and Moss than my local Carquest.

I didn't believe it either. I made them double check.

 

[Guest]

When it comes to critical parts such as u-joints and such, I always rely on TRF. Not that they are perfect. The u-joints that are on my car have grease fittings, came from TRF and are made in Japan. Go figure. Sorry that you are having such a problem. (In a previous post, I noted that the outboard rear u-joints are not greaseable once installed, unless you know a contortionist.) Was the LBC vendor in your area a major supplier, without naming names, and where are there cliffs in the D.C. area?

Keep on keepin on, it gets better....eventually.

Bill

 

[Guest]

I just got a new set of u-joints from Moss for my rear halfshaft and hub rebuilds. Haven't installed them yet but they look nice, have grease fittings, and were pretty cheap at $18/joint.

 

[vettedog72]

DiZZ:
I cant think any thing bad enough to say about the clips being too think…can’t be anything but bad.

On the other hand, the grease fittings on a U joint is not needed and in addition it weakens the U joint although this latter point is probably moot because of the low power in TR6 motors. If relubes were necessary in the ujoint you would still be half done because of the remote location of the outer two joints. If you get good quality u joints you will not need to be concerned about the renewal of the lube just replace the joint when it needs it.

 

[trboost]

This is a popular cross referance of U-joints,
Spicer 5-4X
Precision 344
Napa 3301
QH (British) QL-403
Unipart GSJ102
Beck 102-0106 (UK made zerkless)
GMB/Lazorlite 102-0031 or U82-1284

Of all of these, the Spicer are hands down the toughest. They are a harder to find & cost about $45.00 each but should handle substantially more abuse. The axle joints are easy to replace , it's the driveshaft joints that are a giant pain to do..This is definitly the place to install the best possible part.

 

[Guest]

Mitch,
Isn't Dana Corporation, the mother company of Spicer, in receivership? If this is the case, would it be difficult to find Spicer U-Joints?

Bill

 

[AlanT]

I use only Hardy-Spicer (or just plain Spicer) u-joints unless there is just no other alternative. The Hardy-Spicer u-joints come in a green box and 'suggest' that they are made in England. Part # HS195 has a grease fitting and HS161 does not. Moss used to keep these as a 'call brand' but will not admit to them in any of the catalogues. As I recall , they were not that much more expensive. This could have changed since I have not bought any in about a year. I'll check tomorrow and report.

Alan T

 

[Guest]

Moss sells an aftermarket no-name brand joint for 12 or 13 bucks, and the Hardy-Spicer for $18, which is what I got. They came in the green box with a label saying product of the UK. They are referenced as such brand on their website.

 

[trboost]

Bill,

For some reason they have always been hard to find. Part of the reason is the fact that I can buy Precision joints for half the price. I have had to replace every Precision & Beck joint I installed, not one Spicer so far. The company that balaced my driveshaft installed a new set. I have also heard that some of the big vendors sell Spicer brand joints under other labels. I like Spicer U joints in original boxes. These are visably heavier than other brands I have seen.

Dana is the parent Co . A quick search on line produced a few companies like Accuautoparts https://www.accuautoparts.com/axledetails.jsp?parts_id=DAN:5-4X
They have them at about $42.00 + shipping.
I think most speed shops can get them too.

I'd like to see what AlanT comes up with. I curious as to the exact product Moss sells.

 

[Guest]

Of course, for that matter I could have used plastic U-joints for the last six months. Not a lot of torque put on those little puppies whilst sitting up in the air.

Bill

 

[Guest]

Here's what I got from Moss. I made a mistake earlier, they do not say product of UK (must have had a senior moment there, I could have swore they did), they say made in Japan. They looked to be of good quality when I opened one.

Here's another question, does anyone know what brand TRF sells/uses? I'm about to send my rear hubs back to them for rebuild and the price includes installation of a new U-joint. If they use a good brand I'll leave them be, otherwise I'll replace them with one of these since I did buy four.

 

[trboost]

Scott,

From what I can gather it appears Hardy Spicer was originaly an Austrailian company that eventualy joined with Repco & since has been bought by Japanese NTN corp. I'm not sure if they were ever the same as the Dana/Spicer USA group.

Needless to say Japanese products have come a long way & NTN is a very large parts & industrial manufacturer so the quality should be there. I would try these on the axle shafts but would still stick with a proven winner for the driveshaft.

I personaly hate working under the car so I try and make sure stuff like this is as bullet proof as I can make it.

 

[Guest]

Good info, thanks Mitch. Now I know where I got confused. One of the boxes was missing the "Made in Japan" label (the one I opened), and under that label it says "Head Office, GKN Driveline Ltd., Birmingham, England". I think I saw that and thought they were made there. You can see part of that writing in my second pic.

I'm kicking myself now for not replacing the joints on the driveshaft when I had the tranny out for a new clutch last summer. They didn't look to bad at the time so I just left them, but now I'm thinking I should have just done them. Hindsight always being 20/20 and all that.

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
The u-joints that are on my car have grease fittings, came from TRF and are made in Japan. Go figure.

[/ QUOTE ]

One and the same...as of 5 years ago.

Bill

 

[trfourtune]

one point about u-joints and bearings in general. replace the "assembly grease" with best quality synthetic. the stuff used to keep the bearings and u-joints together is typically garbage. clean that stuff out and replace. do not use as packaged and your u-joints and bearings will last much longer.
rob /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif

 

[billspit]

A few years ago I bought Spicer U joints from a nearby drive line shop and they came with the grease zerk. No way could I get them to fit with the fitting. I ended up returning them and getting the non-zerk units. I recall they also had too thick clips and I re-used the old ones. Probably not too smart.

 

[Guest]

As I remember, when I installed my Spicer U-Joints a few years ago, they came with some big-dog grease fittings that would not allow me to fit them. I removed the grease fittings, installed the U-Joints and came back with a much smaller fitting, with a smaller nipple.


next comment deleted by TR6BILL


Bill

 

[trrdster2000]

Or you could just go to the Datsun dealer and ask for u-joints for the 240, 260, 280 Z or a good parts store (NAPA) Wayne

 

[guzzul]

Scott - re your question about TRF, I ordered u-joints for my SPitfire from them in December and received the Hardy-Spicer joint, same green box, etc. TRF product number for Spit was QL15002, not sure if yours is the same.