Build-Your-Own Rear Driveshaft For SYE

Lfuerb

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May 18, 2019
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Hi All,

Has anyone used a TJ Rubicon Rear Driveshaft and added a Center Yoke to work with a SYE setup? It would appear to be a cheaper setup than buying a new CV Rear Driveshaft but I would hate to go to the trouble if it will end poorly.
 
Hi All,

Has anyone used a TJ Rubicon Rear Driveshaft and added a Center Yoke to work with a SYE setup? It would appear to be a cheaper setup than buying a new CV Rear Driveshaft but I would hate to go to the trouble if it will end poorly.
Every time I see someone trying to save money by cobbling together a driveshaft I cringe..just buy one from a reputable shop and you will save money and headache in the long run I promise you
 
kit + balancing then multiply that x2 just in case...........then look up tom wood driveshafts.

i'm pretty adventurous when it comes to things i didn't have to do and have taken on a couple fair sized mods and i won't try this 1 without seeing it done a few times with success.
 
Always sounds like a good idea in your head.
then you do it, try to go any faster than 20mph on the road and get vibrated to death (assuming it even lives), and that good idea just became a total waste of time and a nightmare.
 
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Watch the Fab Rats YouTube channel...he's made a couple of driveshafts using a big lathe...like a 8' plus unit.

Note that he recently put together a new rock crawler and opted to have a driveshaft shop make his shafts.

Says something when someone with tools, knowledge and experience knows when to have someone who lives, breathes and does shafts daily do the work.

-Mac
 
I made some drive shafts for a trail only rig once using schedule 40. It sucked, don't do it. Find a local driveshaft shop that will rebuild/retube or get and adams/tom woods or some other reputable drive shaft option. Your output and pinion bearings will thank you.
 
If you want to save money find a good front shaft and have it shortened. Avoid rubicon stuff unless you own a rubicon.
 
People often do this with something like a TJ or XJ because they use a 1310 series yoke style double cardan shaft. While I could go on for a very long time about why I disapprove of doing this for many reasons, none of which have anything to do with us selling a drive shaft, a Rubicon is a different animal and makes it even more unrealistic. This is primarily because the Rubicon uses a flat flange on the rear output of the transfer case. It us a somewhat unique flange that is specific to this vehicle so the proper parts are harder to come by. You would have to get a double cardan assembly from something like a standard TJ or XJ then replace the socket yoke with a socket flange. You'd have to shorten the stock shaft to make room for the double cardan, make sure the weld insert of the double cardan fits the tube of the stock shaft, weld it all straight, then you'd still need a driveline shop to balance it. Once all this is done you will have likely spent a lot of time and money for something that is still inferior in quality. Similar to the oddball flange on a Rubicon the rubicon uses an oddball joint at the rear axle. This means that the joint you'd find at the axle end of the front shaft in a TJ or XJ will not fit the rubicon axle. Likewise the double cardan end of a Rubicon front shaft is not going to be compatible with the size double cardan you'd need for the rear shaft. In short, there are quite a few compatibility issues that make this practice particularly difficult, ( might even say impossible) in a TJ Rubicon.

*edit* I just realized that you mentioned Rubicon and SYE. Only a standard TJ would have an SYE, a Rubicon basically has the SYE factory installed on the transfer case. If you have a standard TJ with SYE a Rubicon shaft will not work and vice versa.
 
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Just get yourself some hitch and receiver stock and go to town! LOL

101_4735-jpg.jpg
 
I really like the custom U-Joint mounting flange... :LOL:
That is definitely a toyota pickup with a factory pinion flange and factory driveshaft end welded to squaretube.

Those square front driveshafts were popular on trail rigs way back when Toyotas use to be cheap to buy and build. You saw them and the pto tractor parts on some old pirate4x4 builds a long time ago.

I used one on my old pickup once. It sucks. I got hung up on my front driveshaft once. Because it was square my truck would walk sideways as the driveshaft spun on the rock 😆. Reverse it would walk the other direction. I switched to a proper front driveshaft after that as seen below 😆.

They also kill bearings.

FB_IMG_1521843649056.jpg
 
Why though? Cause there was some square tubing left from that trailer project from 3 years ago, sitting in the corner of the shop?
 
Why though? Cause there was some square tubing left from that trailer project from 3 years ago, sitting in the corner of the shop?
Cheap strong and trail only was always the biggest reason I saw them run. Also the Toyota driveshaft options were ki d of limited 10 to 15 years ago. Not like it is today. Having run one for a very short period it's not worth the money saved. I was young, dumb and cheap back then.
 
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