[lumberjacknooj]

Hey- I'm working on an 85 S10 ext cab v8 project. I'm dropping in a nice gen 1 350, and have a th350 to run behind it- but I'm contemplating an overdrive, or 5/6 speed swap (the truck was originally a manual, so all the provisions are there for that swap) My question is about the split drive shaft...

How much torque will that 2 piece drive shaft handle? And- if I were to shorten the drive shaft for an overdrive trans swap or t56, would it be better to shorten the front section or rear section??
Does anyone know if that split d/s would be balanced enough for a t56's low gear ratios?

Would it be feasible to swap the two piece d/s with a single d/s, if I installed a longer trans? I'm sure that using the two piece would require moving crossmembers/ carrier bearings to align the drivetrain geometry, so I just thought it may be easier to go with a longer, single shaft.

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks guys!

Nooj

 

[Chazmac]

The 2 piece shaft is there because of the length of the truck (rear axle location). Shorten the front shaft and you won't have any driveshaft to pinion angle problems. The shaft will be OK with the V8. I am more concerned about the tiny 7.5" differential living.

 

[lakota]

If you want a tough rearend then swap out to a Ford Explorer. It's an 8.8 and it can handle it. It's also a bolt in. They also make a bolt on adapter from the explorer rear to the Chevy driveshaft.

 

[scapegoat]

I built the same truck in the past. Extended cab short box with a two piece shaft 355 th350. On a first to second gear shift at 7500rpm the carrier bareing exploded. I replaced it with a one piece from an 80s fullsize chevy truck two wheel drive long box reg cab. For the rearend I went with a ford 9' out of a 70ish bronco. I did not need to shorten the rearend. It was a little wider than the stock s10 but only by two inches. I just got different offset wheels for the rear to make up the difference in width. The tires dont stick out much at all. They stick out an inch more than the front wheels so its got that tough look.

 

[lumberjacknooj]

Hey, thanks for the input, guys.

I had thought about going with the Ford 8.8 rear- but it's the thought of having two different bolt patterns on my wheels (ford rear/ chevy front) that has me thinking twice. I could have the axles drilled for the chevy bolt pattern, right? I guess the rear wheels would still need more backspacing to offset the wider rear end, though... Anyone have a clue how much it would cost to have those ford axles drilled/machined/whatever to a chevy pattern?

If I can't find an S10 8.5 inch rear end, then I'll probably look for an early Bronco or Explorer 8.8 rear.

If anyone has any more ideas, I'd love to hear 'em. Thanks again~

Nooj