Well, I got my '68 Riv driveshaft rebuilt (center support, centering ball/studs, u-joints) and had the rear shaft welded so it won't try to spin in the rubber vibration isolator. I asked the shop to balance the shaft after doing the work, but when I went in to pick it up, lo and behold, I don't see any evidence of any balancing, no weights welded on, nothing. When I asked about this, I was basically told, well, we weren't able to balance it, didn't have the right adapters, but hey, it might be in balance anyway. I guess anything's possible, but seems to me that would take a lot of luck and use up a bunch of good karma. So, I checked the shops I knew of here in the Quad Cities (Rock Island/Moline IL and Davenport/Bettendorf IA), and they all said they couldn't do the balance job. Hence the question, anybody know of a shop that can balance a '68 Riv driveshaft somewhere in west central IL or eastern IA? I'd rather put the driveshaft in one time and know it's good from the start, instead of getting into the routine of put it in, pull it out, or messing around with randomly arranged hose clamps or something. Thanks.
Locate a TRUCK repair shop. Large box-type delivery trucks (like a U-Haul) still use 2 piece driveshafts with center carrier bearings. A good shop will be able to do it. Contact a frame shop, see if they know of a place. call U-Haul and see who does their repairs. I got mine done at a truck shop.
Thanks guys, I'm going to set out on a search for the local truck repair places. Only thing that worries me is that the place that rebuilt my driveshaft (Sadler Powertrain in Davenport) is one of those truck repair places that specialize in driveshafts. Apparently there was some issue with not having an adapter to accomodate the rear of the driveshaft. Maybe the truck shafts they deal with are considerably larger than the flange on the rear of the Riv shaft. But I just can't believe there isn't a place relatively local that can do the job.
I'm not so sure eliminating that is a good idea. I think I lost a carrier bearing on my 70 due to eliminating the telescoping action of the rear shaft and all of that flex went straight to the carrier bearing monting.
All he's doing is taking the rear half of the shaft, which is a tube within a tube held in place with a vulcanised rubber ring, and welding it solid so it won't twist the two shafts apart. That rubber ring won't hold up to our hard shifts and extra HP and torque. The shaft will still telescope.
ok, because I have a solid shaft with no rubber in it on my '64. I think Nailheadina67 identified the switch when they went with the 430 in '67 but I've had the shaft out recently and it has the telescoping action up by the carrier bearing. I had a 1 peice rear on the '70 and it blew the carrier bearing apart very soon after I got it running and started driving it and I think its due to the bearing support taking all the flex.
