front driveline

[Grande Rojo]

Hey guys, been around the 67-87 Chevy trucks for a long time but have never had a 4x4. What's the deal with this front driveline in the picture? Is it a crude spacer? what should be there?
This is on a 1986 stock (no lift) 4x4

[swamp rat]

Yea, I'd say that's a crud spacer alright.. I would say he probably didn't have short enough bolts and needed the space provided by the over sized nuts slipped over the unthreaded portion of the bolts to allow the bolts to tighten, if tightened without the over size nuts the threads would bottom out before the flanges made contact..

[Redcap]

The flange should mate up with the output. What you have pictured there is just...stupid.

[andrewmp6]

Redneck spacer and get that fixed before you drive it.

[lowrollin70gmc]

Redneck spacer and more likely to break bolts.


When torqued properly the bolts don't actually take the rotational torque of the driveshaft, the friction between the mating surfaces of the flanges transfer the torque. With nuts in there there is no friction and therefore all rotational stress is through those four small bolts. AKA no bueno.