My Driveshaft arrived yesterday. Really well packaged. Here's an unboxing.
Came wrapped in several layers of plastic.
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Plastic apparently not only helped keep everything together but also kept grease from getting on other packages. Everything inside was easy to slide out and still well packed. I like that there is a label on the inner packaging telling the carrier to return the DS to Tom Wood if it becomes separated from the box.
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Came with this swag and instructions.
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Here is the new DC DS next to the OE DS. The pencil indicates where the drive shaft actually ended under the boot.
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Install was pretty easy, I placed the TC in neutral (so easy thanks to the cable shifter) and connected the DC side of the DS to the TC - much easier to do this first so you're not working against gravity and the spring of the boot. Also, becuase these bolts are much harder to get to than the differential end, I was able to use a 5/16 ratcheting wrench (actual ratchet would not fit) to tighten the bolts, and then get them to what felt like 20 Ft Lbs by using the flex in the DC to get enough leverage to tighten them. I could not get even my smallest torque wrench to fit behind the yoke, not even the tiny one made for bicycles that maxed out just shy of 20 ft lbs (stopped at 24 NM) mostly due to the length of the sockets. My smallest crowfoot is 3/8. so that was not an option. Connecting the differential end was pretty uneventful and I was able to use a regular torque wrench to get the bolts to 14 ft lbs.
I then went and tweaked the control arms to get the pinion angle set. My estimate from when I adjusted it earlier to measure for the drive shaft was pretty close. I only had to adjust it about 1.5 degrees. I wanted to shorten the lowers a smidge to see if I could get a little more clearance between the track bar and fuel tank skid. I ended up only adjusting the lowers about 1 and 3/4 of a turn to get the numbers below with the pinon set to 0.8 degrees lower than the DS. I have at least 3/8" between the track bar and fuel skid, which is about where it was when I cycled the suspension, so I think I will be good. I then added a little blue threadlocker to each control arm and tightened the lock nuts.
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Here are shots of the finished install. First from the driver side:
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Passenger side:
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Shot from directly below the TC to show the clearance with the transmission cooler. Before I connected the DS to the Diff, I flexed and rotated the DS in every possible direction and it is definitely not going to touch the cooler. I have an extra long flex funnel coming tomorrow I will use to fill the TC. I will use a combination of the clearance I need to be able to comfortably service the TC fluid and the clearance required by the Skid and cross brace to determine ho far forward I can mount the cooler before I run the lines. If I had the fab skills, I'd modify the mount so the cooler sat up an inch higher (since it's made to be used without a body lift) so I could rotate it a little so it is angled to the back without being below the frame. You can see how the cooler is maybe 1/8" proud of the frame in the previous picture.
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Finally, here is a photo of a very rare snowfall in Fayetteville, NC. Shot through the garage door window.
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