Thread: hey guys.. I'm back around for a bit.

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it's always something. ugh.

snapped a u-joint on my way to work Friday, dropped the drive shaft..

luckily the guy who built this car had welded a tunnel of sorts around both ends of the shaft, so that when it dropped it didn't spin out and puncture the floor boards or worse flip the car.


also found that 4 bolts that hold the transmission in place were sheered off, not sure if it happened before or not, but I think it might have, and actually caused the u-joint to snap. I say that because over the last week or so the shifter had started to become increasingly more difficult to move out of park and I thought it was the shifter that needed to be replaced, but once the transmission was back in place and new bolts installed it shifts like butter.


I had it towed to a buddies shop as he specializes in custom builds and all things pre-1970. His bread and butter is fixing other peoples f-ups. he told me of what he found left of the transmission mounting bolts, they were not Grade 8, most likely something the builder grabbed from Home Depot, cheap alloy and easily bendable/breakable. He checked the motor mount bolts, rear end bolts and several other places and discovered a lot of the same.


So $1000 later I'm back on the road with every bolt we could think of replaced. Amazing all the clanks, clutters, rattles, and noises are gone and the ride is smooth as silk, doesn't feel like it is going to shake my teeth out (I don't have any fillings, lol).