Hi. I'm new to the forum. Reading threads here has made me paranoid about the front drive shaft.

Is the drive shaft problem bad enough that I should be worried about driving it home before replacing?

 

I'd do a good visual of all the joints and check for slop. Much depends upon the overall condition, mileage where and how the D2 has been used. Lots of offroading, lifts and corrosion will facilitate failures. You should normally get some audible or felt vibration warning prior to departure if stereo not blasting. Your results may vary.

Good to be aware of the D2's shortcomings and don't ignore things but no need for paranoia. Enjoy.
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Thanks. I was about to have it towed. That would have been 10% of the buy price. Lol.

i'll check it good just like you said and drive home with radio off (26 miles). I may break the trip up in two parts and stay off the express way.
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26 miles = ya got this, check it for slop, then if ya feel any vibrations that change with speed it "could" be front drive shaft related. Good news is you can grab a brand new unit with zerk fittings for 125-135.00 off of Ebay. I've used several myself with zero issues. Just grease it fully before installing it, and then at every oil change grease it.

 

Awesome. Will do

 

I got it home safely. Thanks again for the advice.

The one thing that bothers me most about the car is the steering wheel (filthy). Have any of you guys had yours rewrapped?

 

I cut out the top/bottom leather off the steering wheel (multicolor grey/brown down to the rubber & pull it off) and paracord wrap mine. It looks very nice, it feels great, looks rugged, and is more durable vs the top/bottom leather.

 

I have rewrapped one, the kit was from redline leather, the stitching takes forever. Got it all wrapped up, then got one off a junk yard disco that only had 45k on it

 

Paracord takes maybe 45min for the top & 30min for the bottom. You can do plain black to make it blend or you can do any color paracord you can get your hands on. You can also pull out the white center cord to make it thinner, but I prefer the feel of it being slightly bigger.