Langleylad's 05 Grand Cherokee 5.7

[langleylad]

I had the GC in the shop yesterday for a wheel alignment , ball joints & tie rod ends . The tech mentioned that it could use u-joints in the rear driveshaft . Turns out that it is a non-serviceable piece , meaning a new shaft is the only means of repair . At over a g note for another non-serviceable shaft I'm thinking no thank you , I've done a little net surfing for a driveline company that builds a serviceable replacement and have found a couple . So I'm asking if any of my BS brothers (you guys) know of any shops that can supply me with a quality shaft (that didn't come out right).

[langleylad]

Being the "automotive hobbyist" that I am , I just couldn't leave this machine alone . So in the last month I've installed an Air-raid air intake kit , a Magnaflow cat-back kit , Eibach Pro-Kit , Bilstein shocks & struts , HID headlight conversion kit and a Alpine navigation receiver to replace the stock navigation receiver that wasn't working when I bought the Jeep . I've also got an SRT8 rear sway bar sitting in the garage that I will install in the next couple of days .

[Russell]

Did you get the shaft?

[langleylad]

hahahahaha ! I have to supply the length to a couple of shops so that they can quote a price . I don't need it immediately .

[DanStokes]

Let me know how that goes. I'm hoping to bribe the guys from our local driveshaft shop to come to the shop and measure mine as it'll be a bit weird. At the trans there's a flat plate and a Spicer joint/spline will go there (no spline in the trans) so you can't measure it in the normal fashion.

Dan

[langleylad]

Let me know how that goes. I'm hoping to bribe the guys from our local driveshaft shop to come to the shop and measure mine as it'll be a bit weird. At the trans there's a flat plate and a Spicer joint/spline will go there (no spline in the trans) so you can't measure it in the normal fashion.

Dan

The driveline companies that I've contacted needed the "face to face" measurement which is 39-3/4" . You're correct Dan , there is a round plate at the trans end that has a recess that driveshaft flange/u-joint fits into and is bolted in . There is a kidney shaped opening in the driveshaft flange that tape measure can fit into to get a good measurement .

I installed the SRT8 rear sway bar today . There are two rubber bushing brackets that hold the bar to the rear end , all four bolts broke !. My air hammer made short work of removing the welded nut from the back side of the rear end bracket . Four new nuts and bolts and all is good . The stock bar was 1/2" , the SRT8 bar is 3/4" .

[DanStokes]

Remember, mine is a Mercedes manual trans with a Jags That Run adaptor plate running to a stock S-10 rear. The adaptor mates to a Dana (same as Spicer, IIRC) 2-2-329 U-Joint/spline assembly. The setup sounds similar, though. Stock, the M-B had a rubber biscuit and a bunch of weird bits and pieces to get from here to there. Need a 300SD or 240D driveshaft? I have both!

Good deal on the sway bar.

Dan

[langleylad]

Thanks for the offer Dan but they're not even close to being the same . That's quite the combination of parts you're putting together there .

[DanStokes]

Thanks for the offer Dan but they're not even close to being the same . That's quite the combination of parts you're putting together there .

I was funnin' ya! I really don't think those shafts are useful in anything, including a Benz.

Dan

[langleylad]

I actually forgot that I started this thread lol !.It’s my daily driver that never really let me down. Seven years ago the trans decided it didn’t want to work anymore so I decided that I’d rebuild it… expensive mistake. I installed Ebach springs and Bilstein shocks , years later one of the front struts decided to piss the it’s fluid out. Not wanting to spend money on new Bilsteins I choose Monroe’s instead and while installing them I found a rusty broken spring … nice . I threw the broken coil across the yard and reinstalled everything. New H&R springs are ordered. Obviously buying top “quality “ parts doesn’t mean they last forever. I do really like this rig and I do plan on keeping it. I’d like to pick up some SRT replica wheels and recover the steering wheel because it looks like crap . Hi my name is Mike and I love spending money on car parts …..

[DanStokes]

I put a leather wrap on the big Dodge PU and it came out well. Take your time with the stitching!

[SuperBuickGuy]

I actually forgot that I started this thread lol !.It’s my daily driver that never really let me down. Seven years ago the trans decided it didn’t want to work anymore so I decided that I’d rebuild it… expensive mistake. I installed Ebach springs and Bilstein shocks , years later one of the front struts decided to piss the it’s fluid out. Not wanting to spend money on new Bilsteins I choose Monroe’s instead and while installing them I found a rusty broken spring … nice . I threw the broken coil across the yard and reinstalled everything. New H&R springs are ordered. Obviously buying top “quality “ parts doesn’t mean they last forever. I do really like this rig and I do plan on keeping it. I’d like to pick up some SRT replica wheels and recover the steering wheel because it looks like crap . Hi my name is Mike and I love spending money on car parts …..

Hi Mike, welcome.

[langleylad]

Well my day started off great , leaving the house to go to work at 5 am and the starter in the Jeep said "ya I don't think so". It had been acting up , eg. start it up in the morning , drive to the gas station and fuel up and it wouldn't do so much as click when you try and start it , sit for 5-10 minutes and she'd start not problems . Until this morning , nothing. So I unwrapped the Cougar and drove it to work , headlights were like me "not to bright". All new wiring and bulbs ? I'll have to check them out. Anyhow , spent some more money and ordered a starter. I replaced the starter 5 years ago because of the same problem . This car hobby is fun ain't it ?

[DanStokes]

Well my day started off great , leaving the house to go to work at 5 am and the starter in the Jeep said "ya I don't think so". It had been acting up , eg. start it up in the morning , drive to the gas station and fuel up and it wouldn't do so much as click when you try and start it , sit for 5-10 minutes and she'd start not problems . Until this morning , nothing. So I unwrapped the Cougar and drove it to work , headlights were like me "not to bright". All new wiring and bulbs ? I'll have to check them out. Anyhow , spent some more money and ordered a starter. I replaced the starter 5 years ago because of the same problem . This car hobby is fun ain't it ?

I guess some people take cars to some kind of professional facility and it returns with problems (hopefully) fixed. Where's the fun the that?

[langleylad]

I guess some people take cars to some kind of professional facility and it returns with problems (hopefully) fixed. Where's the fun the that?

There’s no fun in paying for that either !