quote:I think the misnomer here is that the Spicer halfshafts are an 'upgrade'. It was at one time cheaper to purchase Spicer half shafts than the replacement u-joints for stock half shafts. The latter is now readily available and the stock half shafts are as equally capable as the Spicer ones IMO.
Agree 100% with all of that, Joules.
But u-joint failures seldom come out of nowhere.
U-joints should be checked each year. Are all the retaining clips still in place? Is the u-joint cap a bit shiny? That probably means it is rotating underneath the retaining clip, being polished by the movement. Time to R&R. If your joints have zerk fittings, they should be greased. Yes, I know that is soon followed by excess grease being flung around the engine compartment. Some owners "solve" that problem by mounting the curved SS sheetmetal guards that cover the inboard joints. Which captures the grease, but makes visual inspection of those inboard joints a bit more difficult.
My last u-joint replacement used Spicer joints that do not have a zerk fitting. I spent time talking with the counter rep at a major driveshaft fabrication/repair shop and he said these come fully greased, have a stronger rubber cup so it deflects less (to prevent grease loss) and can last many years on an in-the-weather farming irrigation pump drive. He went on to say that such a long pump-drive life expectancy should translate to more hours than any Pantera is going to be subjected to in 5-10 years, and given how few miles most owners drive each year...... maybe 10-20 years.
Yes, u-joint failure can work like a medieval flail on inner wheel wells....... if the owner has failed to properly maintain his car.
Nothing wrong with CV conversions.
Also nothing wrong with stock, or Spicer, u-joints.
I just don't think the fear of an owner-induced u-joint failure scenario is a good argument for a CV conversion.
Larry