Land Rover U-joints

[Antichrist]

Rather than continuing to clutter Scott's thread, I tought I'd create one more specific.

I'm telling you, old timer, the 5-4x joint has been discontinued. I can't help what your good-buddy down at your local Pep-Boys tells you or what the out-dated Spicer web site says. The 5-4x is no where to be found. If you find them, get me a case of 24. I'll pay you a $50.00 finders fee.

Here are your "Made in the USA" Neapco joints.

You can buy these joints all day long at your local Auto Zone for 12.99. Auto Zone stocks two at a time. So if you're rebuilding your D2 front drive-shaft, plan ahead.

I'm sure you have found some of the older Made In the USA Neapco joints at your local auto parts store. It's left over stock. Once they reorder they will receive the Made In China joints. This includes the PDQ and Duralast part. I've seen and used your Made In the USA joints from Neapco:

In either case, the 1310 joint is more common. It just is. If your local-yokle parts store carries it, cool. But we do not always stay local and sometimes finding a parts store with less-common parts is a chore. Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Chrystler, etc.. all use a 1310 u-joint. Besides Rover, I'm not sure what else uses the 1300 joints.



A pic is worth a 1000 words:

As for JSQ's comments, I'm not sure how a drive-shaft with 1310 u-joints can be dubbed the eXtreme-big-brother-trucker-breaker-breaker-one-nine-give-me-a-hell-yeah option. The Rover drive-train is junk; carrier, front axles, CV's, rear axles.... In every creditable "build", the "builder" replaces these items before calling their truck "built". "HD" axles, "HD" gears, "HD" carriers, "HD" CV's. But no "HD" drive-shaft? Why?

I do not have a Tom Woods drive-shaft here to compare, but here is a stock Rover drive flange:

It's a cast piece. It's pretty thin, too. If you've never seen one split open, don't worry, you will. If you've never attempted to change the u-joints and had a cap just fall out, don't worry about that, either. It's coming.

Can anyone post a picture of the Tom Woods shaft? It's night and day at the flanges.

As for the tube, sure, the Tom Woods tube is thicker. But I don't care who's shaft you have; if you dent the tube you're going to twist your shaft into a candy cane.

Beside, how much is Will Tillery going to sell you a drive-shaft for? $100.00? Add some new u-joints and you've got $140 in your shaft. How much is a brand new Tom Woods shaft? $100 more? Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me.

First, I do stand corrected on the 5-4x. Since the last time I talked to Dana/Spicer, a couple of years ago, they have in fact discontinued it. February 2008 to be exact. But for some time before that they weren't made by Spicer anyway. So I'm not sure what the big deal is about them.

I'm not sure why you are posting a photo of an Autozone Duralast u-joint. They aren't marketed or made by Neapco and never have been. I expect you're just confused because Autozone used to carry PDQ and kept using the PN when they outsourced to China when they switched to the Duralast line. The Duralast is from Neotac, but actually manufactured by various plants around China.
Anyone who has said that Duralast is/was made by Neapco is simply wrong.

The Neapco line (like you'd get a driveline shop), and the PDQ 1-0005, are in fact still made in the US. The PDQ 1-0154 is made in the US as well in case anyone reading this wants a 1310 series with the zerk in the end cap. Both are $12.99 at Advance Autoparts and other stores around the US.
Other PDQ, the high mover PN's, are outsourced because that's what the parts stores require. Cheap! The don't sell many 1-0005's or 1-0154's so they don't require the lower price on them, even though they sell them for the same price.
Those two specific PDQ u-joints are exactly the same u-joint you'd get at a driveline shop that carries Neapco.

I'm not sure what you think the broken u-joint photo proves. I can show you photos of broken 1310's, 1330's, 1350's, 1810's and so on. Any u-joint will fail if it is over stressed or improperly lubed.

I think JSQ's comment was saying that for 95% of Land Rover owners the stock propshafts (with 1300 series u-joints) are fine. Which I agree with.
I've never said or implied that the 1300's are as strong as 1310's. Though good quality 1300's may in fact be stronger that poor quality 1310's.

There are also rumors on the internet that Dana/Spicer has out-sourced their u-joints to China. According to the Spicer rep I spoke to today, that is not the case. They are still made in the US.

All of the above information came from Spicer or Neapco via two phone calls today to their respective technical folks.

I hope that clears it up for you Dan. Oops, I mean jeepfreak.

[jeepfreak]

I'm not even going to argue with you one this. I'm just going to point you back to my very first statement that there are more, more commonly available, quality 1310 u-joints than there are 1300's. Sure, "95%" of the folks will be just fine with 1300 u-joints made in China. 95% of the same folks will be just fine with stock carriers and stock axles, too.

The 1310's available are just better. Just like I said in my first post. End of story. And that does not even get into the quality in the aftermarkets shafts available.

[Geo14cux]

Rockford makes 1300's

[gjackson]

I'm not even going to argue with you one this. I'm just going to point you back to my very first statement that there are more, more commonly available, quality 1310 u-joints than there are 1300's. Sure, "95%" of the folks will be just fine with 1300 u-joints made in China. 95% of the same folks will be just fine with stock carriers and stock axles, too.

The 1310's available are just better. Just like I said in my first post. End of story. And that does not even get into the quality in the aftermarkets shafts available.

Kinda doesn't forgive the fact that the duralast u-joints you posted as neapco aren't. Doh!

I'll guess that wasn't the 'end of story'.

cheers

[Roverhound]

Kinda doesn't forgive the fact that the duralast u-joints you posted as neapco aren't. Doh!

I'll guess that wasn't the 'end of story'.

cheers

Go to Advance Auto and request Neapco u-joints. They will give you Neapco u-joints.
If you just tell them you want 1-0005 joints the parts monkey will give you whatever he has on hand. Of course he won't have 1-0005's on hand, he has to order them from the warehouse and he will have them tommorrow.

[sven]

Another option is to buy the OEM ones for around the same price as Neapco. GKN brand. He also stock hardy spicer for $40.

http://rovahfarm.com/DiscoIAxles.htm

[Antichrist]

I'm not even going to argue with you one this. I'm just going to point you back to my very first statement that there are more, more commonly available, quality 1310 u-joints than there are 1300's.

According to you, from other posts other places, Precision u-joints are junk. According to you, Neapco u-joints are junk. So really that only leaves Spicer as anything you can get locally, and not every parts store carries Spicer, so that really narrows how "commonly available" they are. NAPA might carry Spicer, I don't know. Last time I went to NAPA to get a u-joint, because I knew they used to carry Spicer, they were using GMB part numbers, and the u-joint said Made in Japan (or China, I can't remember which because I didn't buy it).

Sure, "95%" of the folks will be just fine with 1300 u-joints made in China.

You can keep repeating, or implying, that Neapco are made in China, that doesn't make it true. But, I think everyone else realizes that.

The 1310's available are just better.

Comparing same design from the same mfg 1300's and 1310's no one has ever said otherwise.

Go to Advance Auto and request Neapco u-joints. They will give you Neapco u-joints.
If you just tell them you want 1-0005 joints the parts monkey will give you whatever he has on hand. Of course he won't have 1-0005's on hand, he has to order them from the warehouse and he will have them tommorrow.

When I ask for 1-0005 u-joints they are always PDQ/Neapco that are given to me.
As for having them the next day, I can see that as possibly an issue. Though I'd be willing to bet most people who off-road hard enough to worry about breaking a u-joint carry spares, so that makes it not an issue.
Personally I carry a spare 1310 even though the odds of me breaking one are pretty slim.

[traveltoad]

Though I'd be willing to bet most people who off-road hard enough to worry about breaking a u-joint carry spares, so that makes it not an issue.

Exactly.

[Geo14cux]

ok in a nut shell
Who gives a *
you buy crap you get crap
http://www.rockforddriveline.com/neapcoto.htm

[max adams]

I work in a driveline shop and have built LR driveshafts. If you want the best bang for your buck, I would build a Spicer shaft with 1310 joints and a conversion flange to fit the LR bolt pattern and pilot. The flanges last quite along time unless the u-joints have a catastrophic failure and and the spinning shaft smashes the yoke etc. Spicer is well made and available everywhere, and the next time you need u-joints any supplier will have them on the shelf.
www.drivetec.ca