Need Advise on Rear Drive Shafts

Ok guys, as some of you may know on my first trip out wheeling i broke a rear drive shaft, and i have it replaced but it was a wowy in it so i would like to make up some stronger steel ones and have a replacement one!

i have never done anything with drive shafts other then replacing them.

i dont really know how they work other then that it has multiple axis and can move in and out slightly.

how do i make my own?


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2004 XLT 4X4 ext cab Ford Ranger 126"WB

some of you fab guys like crash help me out here any tips or photos you may have would rock! :awesomework:

It would be pretty difficult to make your own. The rear especially needs to be balanced. A good custom, offroad driveshaft is going to cost some $$$. Probably $300+. But Ranger stock driveshafts are probably a dime-a-dozen at the JY.

But, you can make a good emergency spare shaft from square tubing. :redneck:

Mine was designed to fit the front or rear. Here it is fully compressed, and under the truck (in the front). Don't mind the old wussy shackles or the pinion angle. :looser:

that would be a great thang for me to have!!! the stock ones are thin alum... so you have it so you just connect it at the axis pins?

Ranger James said:

that would be a great thang for me to have!!! the stock ones are thin alum... so you have it so you just connect it at the axis pins?

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Don't use a square rear driveshaft if you drive yer rig on the road.

i might make one just for when i do a lot of wheeling, its nothing to change them out... have something stronger in there and put my weak stock one back in at the end of the day of wheeling....

just out of curiosity, thats just once piece of square tube in another, right?

Yeah. It's just hitch tube and receiver tube actually.

you could also see about purchasing some steel toob that would match the diameter that you've got for your dline now. Then either take yours or a junkyard one and have someone cut the yokes and the spline sections out and then reweld them into the steel toob. Then go and get the dline balanced at a dline shop.

the Dline shop will hook up the one i made to some kinda machine and add wt to balance it out?

Ranger James said:

the Dline shop will hook up the one i made to some kinda machine and add wt to balance it out?

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They might...I can't imagine that they would make any guarantees about balancing a home built d-line, or even being able to.