Shortening The Driveshaft

The engine was now ready for a test drive but the rest of the car not quite. As I swapped in a T-5 transmission, I was not sure if the driveshaft would fit. I had bought a new yoke for the T-5 so I pushed it in. The original yoke could not be used as it was too long.

To measure the correct length for the driveshaft, I pushed the yoke all the way in and then back out about an inch. This gave it enough room to move without bottoming in the transmission. Then it was time to drop the car on the ground and dig out the tape measure. I crawled under the car and got a measurement of 127 cm (50 inches). Originally the driveshaft was 129 cm (50.8 inches) long so I would have to take 2 cm (0.8 inches) out of it. Not much but I was expecting that from what I had read from net discussions.

The machine shops I had used previously did not have the equipment to balance a driveshaft so I searched for a new one. I managed to find Komet OY in Helsinki and after a call their prices seemed reasonable and they promised the parts back in a week so I delivered everything to them. Another problem with the transmission swap was finding out the correct U-joints. Original joint could be used in the rear but the front one was a mystery.

I bought one joint based on net discussions but after comparing it to the driveshaft, I noticed that it was not even close. To get a correct one I took the shaft and yoke to the store to be measured. We defined that I needed Precision model 505 joint that they luckily had in store. With that, the driveshaft could be assembled. It spent a week in Komet and after getting it back I cleaned it and sprayed some paint on it.

Installing the driveshaft was simple. I pushed the yoke in the transmission and then attached the two u-bolts in the rear. This was a good time to finish some loose ends around the transmission too. First I swapped the gear at the end of the speedo cable and pushed it in the transmission. The cable hole was on the driver side of the T-5 but had been on the passenger side in the old T-10. Luckily the cable was long enough to reach around the transmission.

Then I used a pump to fill the transmission with Dextron 3 fluid and it was almost ready to drive. Final detail was the shifter. I wanted to retain the original look in the cabin so I bought an original appearing shift handle and knob with a 5 speed pattern. With them bolted in, the car was finally ready for a test drive!