My DD51t has a bad u-joint coming out of the transfer case for the 4x4. Despite it being staked in, I was able to get it removed, but am having a bad time finding a suitable replacement. Parts store says it has a 23.3mm OD on the cap, +60.8mm cross width. So far they have not delivered anything that fits and none of what they have offer inner clips. Any suggestions?
Industrial drive system shops. When I was in Vegas there was a place named, “Bearing, Belt and Chain”. They sold what their name implies, plus everything to make them work. Grainger, and the other industrial supply sources. Go online and see if you can find catalogs for Spicer, Moog, and other U-Joint manufacturers, and research the dimensions. I looked at the Stant online catalog to find the thermostat for my Hijet, by dimensions, and temp. Once I had a the Stant catalog number, everybody could cross reference to their product line. And, as always the shops in Japan or Indonesia.
I was able to find a u-joint with the correct diameter (UJ811) at NAPA. It is a little shorter than the original, but since it has no clips, that didn't matter. Once I got the u-joint centered, I laid bolt nuts on top of each cap that were tall enough to extend above the top of the yokes and tack welded them in place. That way if the u-joint needs to be replaced again, the tack on the nuts can be ground off and the bore will not be damaged. Took it out and drove in 4x4 with no noticeable vibration. BTW, I never found reference to a replacement u-joint on any for the foreign or domestic sites. They all want to sell you a new drive shaft.
Yeah, thats kind of a JDM thing. For some reason they often don't allow for small serviceable parts like this on drive shafts and control arms etc.