Hey guys just wondering what is best. Is rebuilding the stock one with the greaseable fittings reliable, or should I get an entirely new aftermarket one? My current one is good as far as I know and a LOT cheaper to rebuild than buying aftermarket. But I don't want to rebuild the stocker if it can still just fly apart on me.

Also what is everyone's opinion on rebuilding the rear one as well? Is it as prone to failure as the front one, or should I be ok?

Also I've read quite a few treads on this and it seems like all the part numbers I find are old and I can't get them anymore. Does anyone know where I can get the universals and centering bearing?

 

Depends on who rebuilds it. A quality rebuilder will get you a reliable unit.

 

Honestly after spending the time and money to rebuild mine, I would of rather purchased a new one just to get that peace of mind of new metal in the drivetrain.

Rebuilding was fun though.

 

Take your front driveshaft to a good driveline shop, have them put greasable u-joints in it (they are even cheaper than sealed u-joints). 40-50 bucks at most for complete job

The front driveline is right next to the catalytic converter, fries the grease out of the u-joints over time, you will be fine servicing the new joints..

 

I've never seen someone get in and out of a shop with a rebuilt d2 front shaft for 40-50$, but if you can make sure they're actually using quality components.

 

Yeah seriously.

$50 barely covers the parts cost of the 3 joints and ball.

 

If you are/ever plan on running bigger tires, buy a HD serviceable shaft. Otherwise, rebuild it yourself (paying someone else brings the cost too close to a new HD shaft).

 

Never doing bigger tires and never really planning to go off road. The truck is way too nice to trash off road.

I'll be rebuilding the shaft myself if I don't purchase a new one.

 

These shafts are a pain to rebuild, and I've rebuilt several driveshafts. I have rebuilt the stock shaft and an aftermarket one, and the stocker was much more challenging.

On the stock shaft, the centering ball is very difficult to extract and often requires creative solutions. The centering ball is very important to replace - in many cases it is what makes the u-joints fail.

All the parts are available under the original part numbers; in the last year I bought mine off ebay, and got some from my local shop (I think it was Advance, but really don't remember).

As I recall, it was ~$30 for the centering ball, then about $30 for the u-joints. You will also need to buy a slide hammer and, if you are like me, a dremel and cutoff wheel to cut the centering ball and sleeve in half for extraction. So I'd guess another $60 for those. Meanwhile, you can get a new shaft for $240 shipped. So is a few hours of your time worth $120 to you?

I probly would buy a new one if I had to do it again.

 

To easily extract the ball, turn the hole so it is horizontal.

Pad the shaft of a couple of flathead screwdrivers (wrap in paper towel or something) so you dont ding/dent the housing.

Insert a screwdriver head in each end of the ball. Push the handles down and pry it right up.