www.discovery2.co.uk / Workshop :- front and Rear propshaft

I wanted to use the same u-joints that were used in this write-up and at the bottom he says "I used the Genuine GKN Heavy Duty UJ's Part No TVC100010" but now I realize in one of the pictures the box reads "TVC100010G"
So on ebay I found what I thought was a great deal on 3 TVC100010 GKN u-joints but they turned out to be GKN Hardy Spider "made in Japan" u-joints. Did I waste my money? Are these at least as good as what I would find locally? They are greaseable of course.

what I wanted:


what I got:

 

it does not effect this because they are still made by GKN.
but a lot of times if you see a item number that ends in the letter G it stands for Genuine

 

So I can rest assured I have a set of u-joints worth installing?

 

You're probably thinking of China. A lot of very high quality parts(especially bearings) are made in Japan.

 

I just haven't heard a thing about the japanese gkn u-joints. I wasn't assuming they were low quality, but for all I know there could be something specifically undesirable about these u-joints that would make me want to return them for the german ones or even neapco or whatever.

I guess I can go ahead and install these then

 

There are 3 different U-Joints by GKN as far as I know and the Letter at the end tells you the grade. All joints have a zerk fitting for greasing the main difference is the cap design as far as I know.
From your picture is looks like you got the regular or medium duty joint because the caps look different then the Heavy duty "G" joint. I'm not sure why your part # has the "G" and the caps look like that. Maybe they changed the design or something. If it makes you feel any better I used a medium duty joint when I rebuilt my rear shaft and I haven't had any issues. The rear shaft was an easy rebuild but I just bought a HD Tom Woods front shaft so I didn't have to go through the hell of rebuilding the front. Money well spent in my opinion.



1) TVC100010G / Price $39.95 "Heavy Duty Joints with all Metal Caps"


2) TVC100010D / Price $29.95 "Medium Duty / wider caps then the regular / with rubber seals on caps ]


3) TVC100010 / Price $22.95 "This kit uses standard length caps."

 

boy wont that be a nice sticky, for the next time it comes up

 

Oh, and as for it coming from Japan. I would not worry about that at all. "GKN Driveline is in business with more than 56 locations in 22 countries" so says there website and I imagine they have the same set of quality standards at all of there locations. Just my personal opinion. Where we operate - GKN Driveline

 

I appreciate all of the help but my concern isnt about quality or even where it's made really. It's about choosing between the TVC100010 and TVC100010G. I'm wondering if it's worth it to keep and use these or should I return them and get the heavy duty ones.

I have just been referring to the TVC100010 as the ones made in japan

 

If you are building a trail rig then it might be worth it to get the HD, but if it's an everyday driver that sometimes finds a dirt road then I wouldn't worry about it. The main thing you are looking for when replacing the U-Joints is a zerk fitting for grease. As long as the joint has a zerk, is a good brand, and you keep them greased properly, you should be fine for the life of your Disco. Now if you paid for a HD "G" Joint and they sent you something else then yes I would return them. The "G" joints are about $10-$20 more expensive per joint so you want to make sure you are getting what you paid for. The regular TVC100010 joints will work just fine in my opinion.