scary driveshaft noise found!

finally got my car up on the lift today to hopefully patch the oil pan; also saw where the drieshaft was hitting - one of the screws that holds the rear seat armrest to the floorpan. Not a big deal.

However, it still looks like a smaller diameter driveshaft would be the way to go - I can put a shorter screw in, but it looks like the big fat

4-speed driveshaft could still hit lots of places if I really got the rear end to squat or the springs to wind up, most notably the corners of the tunnel between the rear seat footwells. I'm still thinking of just taking my old Flightomatic driveshaft to a driveshaft shop and see if they can either a) shorten it to the 4-speed length or b) make one like it, but with a thicker wall tubing. Any opinions from early C-K drivers that have converted to 4-speed? I know that at least one person has retained the two piece driveshaft with a 4-speed, but that is not an option for me, unless someone is parting an early C-K and is willing to send me the crossmember and driveshaft. (all that stuff was gone before I got this car.)

I really don't want to raise the rear end; I don't like that look.

nate

Reply to
N8N
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My solution, 35 years ago was a '58 Olds drive shaft, from the pile at the junk yard. Good luck finding one now! It used the same u-joint as Stude; but was much smaller around than the

4-speed shaft. Length was right, for a '61 4-speed in a '57 Hawk. I think rears made for '58 and up Hawks have the spring perches welded on so as to angle the pinion down , to clear the lower tunnel under the rear seat. Mike M.
Reply to
Mike

Reply to
RoadRaceLark

No, I do not have a pinion snubber. I have not seen one for a C-K since I got this car, and I'm not sure if it would fit a '55, but I am keeping my eyes open.

What exactly do you mean by clamping the springs? I've seen this mentioned before and I can see that that would make the front of the springs stiffer, which would be a good thing. But how exactly do you clamp them?

thanks,

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Reply to
RoadRaceLark

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