Truckin Tech TEXT AND PHOTOS: JEREMY COOK
- TRUCKIN.COM [7 0 ] OCTOBER 2019 -
M
ost people don’t think about replacing the U-joints
on their truck until they hear the telltale whine.
That’s exactly what happened to us and Project
Over/Under recently. With the truck basically
complete, we’ve mostly been enjoying it, but we’ve also done a little
fine-tuning. We changed out the exhaust—our former kit was rubbing
in a few places because we cut it down to fit a standard cab longbed.
We also changed out a catalytic converter that was rattling so bad
we thought it was a rod knock at first! Anyway, we’re not sure if the
U-joints were whining all along, or if they’re just easier to hear now
that we’ve fine-tuned the truck. Either way, it seemed like a good time
to visit our friends at Inland Empire Driveline in Corona, California,
to have the job done correctly.
If you’re driving a truck that’s more than a few years old and
thinking, Man, I’ve never checked the U-joints, then you can be one of
the rare, proactive ones who takes care of your driveshaft before it
starts talking to you, or worse: breaks loose and drags on the ground—
but not before violently banging on everything else under your truck.
Instead of haphazardly pressing on some new U-joints and calling
it a day, we wanted to do the job right, which includes balancing
the driveshaft, something that’s often overlooked. We made an
appointment with Inland Empire Driveline, and in one afternoon,
removed our factory Silverado driveshaft, replaced the U-joints,
balanced, and even polished it up out in Corona, and had the
refurbished driveshaft back in the truck before sundown. Follow
along below, and check out IEDLS.com for any of your driveline
repairs or custom builds.Avoiding the Shaft
Professional,
Preventive
Maintenance
for Your
Truck’s
Driveshaft
Source:
INLAND EMPIRE DRIVELINE
800 .8 00 .0 109
iedls.com