I've NEVER seen a balancing tab that huge; makes me wonder if the D/L was bent before, and didn't have the moola for a new one... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

Absolutely. That balancing tab is GIGANTIC. I've never seen anything close to that. I'd say it figures into the bottom line of your situation prominently.

Never seen a driveshaft do that either. Seen u-joints give it up, but nothing like this. Wow.

I called around to other machine shops all over vermont today and nobody seems to know what they're doing.

So I gave up on VT.

I called Steve Johnson @ South Bay Driveline and woke his wife up about an hour ago <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />
woops.
They're in California lol

I'm gonna call back in about half an hour and see if he's willing to build me something and how willing he'd be to ship it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Hopefully this won't cost me an arm and a leg.



----
I've been reading and reading and reading and reading about this driveline stuff and I really can not see how, even if my driveline angles were like 6*, my driveshaft would've done that unless it was way out of balance.

There's really no other explaination.
I'm sticking to my guns.
Had my lawyer friend draft and send a letter requesting reimbursement for the damages.
Also I put a stop payment on my check and formally requested that they not charge my credit card.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> This sucks. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

I just want my truck back.

Steve does good work, but he likes to use 1310/1350 joints instead of Toyotas. I had him build two shafts for my old white truck and was very happy with them. They were not cheap.

Check w/ Jesse at High-angle as well.

300 bucks, 40 shipping, spicer non-greaseable ujoints (it's my pavement pounder :P )

i paid the local shop 250 + then brought them ujoints for 44.30. they used my ends + slip joint too.
this will be all new/rebuilt stuff :)))
all said and done it's about the same price, and worth it to pay someone more reliable

I'ma call H.A. Driveline right now too, thanks i forgot about them

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Tyler has a high angle cv driveshaft for sale.... He also has a long wheel base which is a little shorter than yours but his is custom for his lift/longer slip shaft. Talk to him gosh dernit.

-Scerb

I know that a 1 piece shaft is more durable if built correctly but since this is just your dd wouldnt it have been cheaper to just replace the center bearing? It probably would have lasted the lifetime of your truck. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" /> Me go hide now..... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

For starters it wasn't the vibration that lead to the failure of the driveline, so the balancing of the shaft by teh shop wasn't the eason for the failure. A vibrating drive shaft will normally cause premature failure of the u-joints, not cause the driveline to tear itself apart. A bent d-line will cause severe vibrations and then the damage that you have. Since you weren't wheeling, and basically just put it on, you would have noticed it being bent. By the look of the pictures, the shop didn't use the right size tube, it should have been atleast a 3" thick walled tube. What basically happened was the first time you took off the d-line twisted a little bit, and continued to twist each time you took off, shifted gears or used hard acceleration it twisted more untilt it couldn't resist the stresses being applied and tore itself apart.

You have a product liability claim against the shop, as I am sure your attorney friend has already told you. They made a product that you used as it was intended to be used, the product failed and caused your damage. You are entitled to have the fuel tank replaced(the dent will reduce the mpg range of the tank by a few gallons by the look of the dent.), the sending unit is a result of the damage and so is the skid plate, as well as as being reimbursed for the cost of the driveline. The shop owner has already admitted they made a poor product which he was willing to replace or refund you the money, he can't claim he is liable for the rest of the damage.

The shop can't use the length as an excuse either, they are the experts here, if they didn't think it could be done, than they shouldn't have made you one. They new that you intended to use the driveline on your truck, and that it needed to be over 60" long, so they should have built you a driveline that could withstand the forces being applied to a driveline that is over 60" long. Toyota didn't make a one piece for the 3rd gen trucks because 60+ inch d-line was to long, they didn't make one for cost and clearance issues. A 2 pc d-line is less suseptable to being bent on the trail, and they could use the same size tubing for all their vehicles.

I have had a 1pc drive shaft for over 9 yrs with 70k+ miles on it, and the tube is as straight now as the day it was made. The 1pc on mine has also been abused on ice(in deep snow) and on the rocks. It also sits behind a mod'd 3.0 and has to move around 5k lbs on a daily basis while turning 33" tires. If a 1 pc was not going to work as the shop owner told you, mine would have failed long ago.

The $300+ shipping sounds about right for a d-line, that is what I paid for mine 9 yrs ago, and is what I was quoted for an additional one about 2 yrs ago.

Since people don't normally higher an attorney for civil damages under a $1000, recieving one from an attorney should scare them a little bit. They should be happy the damages is relatively small, they could be looking at a totaled vehicle and personal injury claim, or multiple claims if you had caused a multi-car accident.

Actually paying a shop to replace the carrier bearing costs more, about $150-200 more than having a custom built d-line. When mine was built, the dealer wanted $497 to replace the bearings, and the private shops wanted $450, same with driveline shops. It was a driveline shop that recommended going to a 1pc since it would cost $150 less and I would be able top use cheaper domestic u-joints down the road.

Thank you much, snowtoy.

It's funny you mentioned all of that now.. I just learnt basically all of that information (on the driveshaft failure) over the weekend while talking to Steve Johnson @ South Bay Driveline.
He definitely knows his stuff.

I've got the letter all drafted up and on my desk now but I'm going to have him (the lawyer) append it with a quote for replacing the gas tank as well.
The way I see it: You're Right. I hold them liable for that for obvious reasons but to be honest... I don't know as the tank capacity is *hugely* damaged by the dent. The skid plate took most of the damage.
If we had to "negotiate" I'd be happy saying sure i'll let you not pay for the gas tank and pay for all the other $h!t that actually limits the driveability of my truck.

I also agree that this will probably scare them pretty well.
We'll see what happens <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />