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From the looks of things, the flange on the bolt is going to hit the curved portion of the strap long before it bottoms on the flat part of the strap. That's probably not going to work very well...
Plain washer or lock washer, your choice, and blue loctite. Then take some whiteout and make a line from the bolt head to the strap. If it ever starts to loosen you’ll see the line you drew is askew and is no longer one straight line.
From the looks of things, the flange on the bolt is going to hit the curved portion of the strap long before it bottoms on the flat part of the strap. That's probably not going to work very well...
Make sure the area around the hole is spot-faced enough for the lock washer to sit fully flat and that the flange on the bolt doesn't hit the side before bottoming out on the washer (compressed) Otherwise it'll push in on the side of the hoop in one spot instead of "evenly" around the u-joint end cap
M
If you are really worried about the strength why not switch to the blocks used on the u-joints on the higher HP Corvettes. My 1968 came with a 427 and has machined blocks with holes in them in place of the straps. They were hard to find for a while but not anymore.
I used all Grade 8 hardware on the parts down there so going to the ARP might be overkill. Many years ago I went to a Car show and there was a guy selling big collections of Grade 8 hardware in a large box with several sizes and lengths. I swear by those bolts as they are high quality and Strong. I have kept up with replacing the parts I have used over the years on both my C3 and C4 Corvettes. When in doubt I simply replace the existing bolts with Grade 8 hardware. It might not look original but they won't break very easily. I learned then that the SS hardware is also nice but much more brittle than Grade 8 hardware. I have both SS and Grade 8 along with stronger Metric hardware as well.
Don't get me wrong my entire 427 when rebuilt had it's hardware replaced with ARP pieces. They are real pretty on the outside and incredibly strong on the inside of the engine.
I don’t remember using any washers???
Edit..i would not use arp bolts here…I’m not a fan of their fitment and research..i wasted money on them that were wrong length for my rear ring gear..and this looks like another case of bad fitment all around..
Last edited by interpon; May 27, 2022 at 07:21 PM.
Make sure the area around the hole is spot-faced enough for the lock washer to sit fully flat and that the flange on the bolt doesn't hit the side before bottoming out on the washer (compressed) Otherwise it'll push in on the side of the hoop in one spot instead of "evenly" around the u-joint end cap
M
I made the holes a little bigger. Now the lock washer sits nicely and flat (not hitting anything).
there is only so much metal around those bolts. you have removed some. so you have stronger bolts and weaker straps. nobody makes one like this for the driveshaft joints?
there is only so much metal around those bolts. you have removed some. so you have stronger bolts and weaker straps. nobody makes one like this for the driveshaft joints?
I don’t remember using any washers???
Edit..i would not use arp bolts here…I’m not a fan of their fitment and research..i wasted money on them that were wrong length for my rear ring gear..and this looks like another case of bad fitment all around..
Just a FYI if you ever need them:
The Drive-line hardware Bolts, Strap (Retainer) was still available at the dealer in 2016.
68-80 Strap & 71-82 Bolts
With my I OWN a classic corvette small discount I got all the drive-line hardware out the door for $23.39 4 straps and 8 bolts
Don't even replace the Straps (Retainers) with aftermarket corvette vendor parts. You will most likely get Dorman China garbage.
Notice the Bolt part number was superseded sometime after 1983 from GM #3887348 to GM #14018700
The bolt is 5/16 x 24 x 1-7/16 long"
They are Differential Side Yoke Caps but they only work on the "HD" side yokes that are tapped for bolts which are different than the ones used for the U-bolts.
there is only so much metal around those bolts. you have removed some. so you have stronger bolts and weaker straps. nobody makes one like this for the driveshaft joints?
I couldn't find any for the drive shaft itself so I ended up making a set of sort of hybrid cap / straps for mine
(There was a whole discussion (argument) going on at one point concerning strap vs cap vs u-bolt pros and cons as well.)
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Drive shaft bolts
