LWB driveshaft question

[82SquareBurb]

Anyone with a long wheelbase truck/Suburban running a one piece driveshaft? I snagged a 5" .125" wall unit out of a 2013 2500 Silverado for a deal. My hope is to have a local shop shorten/balance it to the ~70 inches I need and delete on the 2 piece drive shaft setup in my C10 Suburban.

I think @xm20k runs a 5" in his rig, was curious if any long wheelbase trucks are running one and if this is a solid solution for max towing power/ HD use. Looking for insight, as I fear the steel 2 pc setup will fail, just by how janky the carrier bearing mounts. Looking for ideas. Thx!

 

[legopnuematic]

Both my 76 and 79 C10's, both LWB (and both TH350's) are factory 1pc drive shafts. The 85 C10 (305/TH350) I had parted out was also a 1pc shaft.

 

[1lejohn]

85 K 10 one piece steel shaft. Was a 700R , now a 350. No problems

 

[83K31003]

‘80~’88 K-30’s with a regular cab and a fleetside bed SRW & DRW ran a two joint slip yoke shaft setup that was steel but only 4” diameter ( and thinner wall ).
Crew Cabs and longer wheelbase Cab Chassis’ used a 3 joint carrier bearing shaft setup but not the 131.5” W/B K-30’s of those year models.

And plenty of 4WD K10/20 LWB Squares in the seventies utilized a two jointed type rear shaft.
Most K-10’s were 3-1/2” diameter and’73~’75 K-20’s were 4-1/2” diameter.
There were some later seventies models that used a three jointed type carrier bearing setup with smaller diameter tubes but your big aluminum 5” diameter thick walled shaft should work just fine.

HTH’s, Tom

 

[xm20k]

Anyone with a long wheelbase truck/Suburban running a one piece driveshaft? I snagged a 5" .125" wall unit out of a 2013 2500 Silverado for a deal. My hope is to have a local shop shorten/balance it to the ~70 inches I need and delete on the 2 piece drive shaft setup in my C10 Suburban.

I think @xm20k runs a 5" in his rig, was curious if any long wheelbase trucks are running one and if this is a solid solution for max towing power/ HD use. Looking for insight, as I fear the steel 2 pc setup will fail, just by how janky the carrier bearing mounts. Looking for ideas. Thx!

Mine is an aluminum 5" at 72.5" center to center but that's because no one would build a steel one longer than 60" for over 500HP. Best bet would be to talk to someone like https://www.actionmachineinc.com/ who build drive shafts for a living for everything from stock to high power off roaders and drag vehicles.

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[82SquareBurb]

because no one would build a steel one longer than 60" for over 500HP.

Thanks for confirming. Looks identical to the one I have.

Yeah I knew I had a problem when Mark Williams' told me to pound sand when I told them what I need. I think they only use 4" .083" wall stuff, so they limit to 60" or so.

When I talked to some turbo LS swap Burb projects, the setup is 1 pc later Silverado/2500 5" shafts cut down to fit, and they seem to hold up fine. If my math is mathing correct, I need a 5" .125 wall tube to hold a critical speed of 6,000+ with around 800+ foot pounds for ~70". Will have my local shop confirm on my math.

 

[83K31003]

I miss read the 2WD and 72” tube portion - I was thinking this was a 4WD application with a shorter tube dimension. My apologies, Tom

 

[DoubleDingo]

It appears from the replies c10 has one-piece, and c20 and heavier get two-piece. I have only had c20s and they all have two-piece.

 

[Bloodhound1981]

I have a 1981 C10 longbed with a factory one piece driveshaft. I replaced it with a 5" aluminum. The weight difference is unbelievable.

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[82SquareBurb]

It appears from the replies c10 has one-piece, and c20 and heavier get two-piece. I have only had c20s and they all have two-piece.

Yeah it seems GM switched depending on the application. Wondering how the center carrier crossmember clears when switching from 2pc driveline to a 1pc - as I want to avoid cutting it out and making my wet noddle C10 frame any more noodly lol If I can retain it, would make a good safety loop mount as well.

 

[82SquareBurb]

I have a 1981 C10 longbed with a factory one piece driveshaft. I replaced it with a 5" aluminum. The weight difference is unbelievable.

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Very nice, love that bed liner as well.

Do you recall the Cap-Cap length for the long bed? C10 Suburbans come in about 72" for the stock 2pc driveline with a 700R4.

 

[xm20k]

70" I believe with a TH350 mine is 72.5 due to the powerglide. Mine only came close to the cab floor directly under the seat area but a BFH solved that issue with a small dent.

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