Aerostar aluminun driveshaft

[Mustang-junky]

Most trucks and SUVs around here are four wheel drive. With the ice and snow we get 4x4s sell a lot better.

Jess

[waggin]

In the two places I'm most familiar with, the Pacific NW and Northern New England, a 2wd Explorer is a rare novelty.

[Eastyorkstang]

With all this talk about driveshafts I had to chime in. When I swap the 302/aod over in my '79 Boxtop I had planned on taking the driveshaft as well. The aod is longer then the c4 and when combined with the longer wheelbase I was hoping the Mustang driveshaft will work?

[Tom Wells]

I see I didn't post a followup to my earier message about the 4.0 Explorer 2WD aluminum driveshaft, so here it is.

I had to shorten it by around 2-1/2 to 3 inches.

Of course, I used a 460/C-6/IRS combo so YMMV.

The Mustang driveshafts won't do because the Fairmont/Zephyr has 5-1/2 inches more wheelbase...

Measure - measure - measure!

Tom

[Ductape91]

This is wrong.

I put an aluminum DS from an AWD aerostar in my 91 when I had it, pulled it from the vehicle myself. Had to swap the yokes to fit.

A lot of AWD aerostars had aluminum driveshafts, but I believe thats because it was a recall or warranty replacement. I dont believe they ever came new with them. However they are not at all rare, I see one almost everytime I go to the JY.

i knew i wasnt smoking something when i saw a AWD one in the junkyard with a steel driveshaft. i was under the impression all the AWD ones had an aluminum driveshafts from the factory. my guess was it broke or something and they swapped in a steel one.

[dustang83]

When I swapped the V8 / AOD / 8.8 combo into my '79 Futura, the stock 6 cylinder/c5 driveshaft length worked fine. There was adequate spline engagement....but it was steel

[elderstang]

Here's what I went to the junk yard looking for, and the Explorer driveshaft fit.
51.5" from ujoint center to center.
55.5" from trans seal to pinion flange face.
I'm pretty sure the Explorer shaft was 51.5" center to center. It may have been a half inch either way, but you have a little play. I was pretty excited to get it on the car, and didn't write down the exact measurements.
I replaced the front and rear yokes with some I had from a turbo coupe shaft I had. The original front yoke that came on the Explorer had a very small balance ring, and the one I put on it from the turbo coupe shaft is huge. I may go back and pull a front yoke from a Crown Vic aluminum shaft for a better match. Lots of former cop cars and taxi's at the yard. The rear yoke bolt pattern did not line up with any of the holes in my pinion flange. I'm running a 7.5, so it might have worked with an 8.8.

The pinion flange should be the same on 7.5 and 8.8.

[elderstang]

With all this talk about driveshafts I had to chime in. When I swap the 302/aod over in my '79 Boxtop I had planned on taking the driveshaft as well. The aod is longer then the c4 and when combined with the longer wheelbase I was hoping the Mustang driveshaft will work?

What did the aod come out of? Mustang aod and c4 are the same length. I switched my aod for a c4 and used the same driveshaft.

[Dean_T]

I've heard it's the trans mount is in a different spot in AOD vs C4. I think the Lincolns had the longer tail shaft AOD.

Dean T

[elderstang]

Your right. thats why i was asking.

[rab]

just skimmed thru this, with the explorer aluminum ds work with out modding its length in my 82 4 door mont, thats getting a 5.0 5 speed, 88 k-member and 8.8

[MAD MIKE]

just skimmed thru this, with the explorer aluminum ds work with out modding its length in my 82 4 door mont, thats getting a 5.0 5 speed, 88 k-member and 8.8

The only cars it will not work on(the list is shorter than can) are the '80-'88 Tbird/Cougar coupes(108"WB), Continentals(108/117?"), and Mustang/Capris(100.5"). And possibly the early cars with the 6.75" rear.

[SHO-PNY]

wow lots of talk but still little lost LOL

doing 87 k member 302 and t-5 what drive shaft will go right in and what u joints and flanges will i need

thanks for the help

[Greywolf]

From my understanding, if you're starting with a V8/C4 combo in a Fairmont/Zephyr...
-if you swap to a T5 you use the same driveshaft
-if you swap to a non-Lincoln ("short") AOD you use the same driveshaft
-if you swap to a different Mustang K-member you use the same driveshaft
-if you swap from a 7.5 to 8.8 you use the same driveshaft

However, my guess is the driveshaft can withstand a little bit of longer/shorter difference. Once you do 2 or 3 of those changes, you may be running out of "wiggle room". So do the swaps and put the driveshaft in and see if it stays in when the rear axle is dropped all the way, and doesn't smack the back of the transmission when the rear axle is all the way up. It *should* be okay if you stick to the combos above?

Anyone with actual experience in this care to comment? I'd hate to be wrong on this, but my setup is way too unusual for me to be giving advice on this...

(260L6/T56/IRS in Z7, stock driveshaft is totally uselessly wrong!)

[ratio411]

Fwiw, with all the driveshaft talk...

We used the 'long' AOD from a Lincoln Mark 7, and the stock 200/c4 driveshaft fit, barely... With the rear hanging, the yoke is bottomed out.

What is the concensus on the Exploder aluminum driveshaft???
The last post I saw with details said it had to be shortened a few inches, but then the poster said he had a 460/C6... So it probably doesn't apply to C4/AOD. ???

[uglybox]

Yep. Clear as mud.
I just picked up the Explorer aluminum drive shaft at the local Pull-A-Part with a warranty (!) for $18.50.
Hope it works in my wagon with a planned sbf/t-5/8.8

[MBreinin]

I will tell you what won't work, and that is an Isuzu Trooper aluminum driveshaft. LOL.

I got my '81 Fairmont wagon back after 10 years this weekend. Former owner (Ben Lerman, member here) put in a tubular K-Member and elected to mount the engine in the rear slots, which lowered the engine and set it back about an inch and a half. He found a huge Trooper DS that was the correct length (aluminum) and installed it. When I got it, the tranny was sitting too high. I installed a C-4 tranny mount (with some modification to the X-Member) which lowered it enough for what seemed like proper geometry.

Here is what happened on the second pass in anger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbcXcEpDJBU

The front U-Joint exploded. The resulting carnage also damaged the tranny and the clutch. I don't have the orignal DS, so I am searching for a good replacement.

Tranny comes out this weekend.

Mike

[David Claflin]

Ouch, I'm wondering if the isuzu shaft was made for that torque....
Where are you located?

[MBreinin]

Ouch, I'm wondering if the isuzu shaft was made for that torque....
Where are you located?

Right outside of New Orleans. The U-Joint failed, not the actual driveshaft. The clutch seems ok, the extreme vibration caused the adjustment nut on the fork to loosen. I tightened that back and the clutch action is fine again. Trans "sounds" fine as well, I can shift it through all the gears. However, it is jammed in gear, second to be precise. So, it comes out this weekend and I will see what I did to it. Hopefully, it won't be too bad or too pricey to repair.

I will need a replacement driveshaft as I don't have the stocker any longer.

Mike