Prop Shaft Problems!

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum so it's great to meet you all. I'm currently restoring a 1965 SWB Series 2a from the ground up and have hit a problem with my prop shafts. I took them apart at the sliding joint firstly to do a through job of painting the shafts and secondly because the seals at the joints weren't doing their job i.e. water and muck was inside the shaft. So I took off the dust cover to separate the two halves of the shaft and underneath found a metal circlip and a very old, tired cork seal both of which want replacing.

Now that I have removed them both, I can't replacements anywhere except in the states! Does anyone know of the pieces I am talking about and anywhere I might be able to find them? Without them I can't put my prop shafts back together again!

Thanks in advance
Andrew

Welcome to the board of old scroats. New propshafts are not horrendous on cost as a last resort. Find a good local engineering supplies factor and take the circlip in as a pattern, you should be able to locate one. cork seal can be made from something like a cork floor tile using a sharp craft knife. Also ask on the series 2 club site for information on parts.

Familiar with the parts you mention but they are not listed in parts catalogue so probably have to contact a propshaft manufacturer.

Hope that you have marked the shaft and tube for orientation before you stripped them out.

If you haven't, they will not line up properly at the axle drive flanges, and it could cost you dearly!

Of course, these things are not taught in the Grey Funnel Taxi Service!

If I'm not mistaken these bit are not critical...you could just fit rubber gaiters back and front or keep the sliding joint well greased to keep the crap it,

Is the sliding joint ok....the should be no side to side play...if there is just buy a new shaft.

Nick.

You should find an arrow on both on the tube and the splined part, which must be lined up when you put it all back together!

It IS critical to align these marks!

Are there markings anywhere else. I did the uj's on my front prop shaft a while back and didn't think now its a touch out of balance and thrums a bit at 50+mph....usually doesn't matter because I've got FWHs

as long as both ujs in the shaft are in the same alignment been 180 degrees out wont matter

Surely that is only true if no balance weights have been added.
Some of the older propshafts I have repaired had obvious balance weights welded to tube.
Like one in this photo

Thanks for all the replies and advice! I made a note of the alignment before I painted them, just got to get these seals sorted. Are they export only prop shafts or something where I can only get the spares in in the USA?

The steel ring inside the screw cap on the sliding joint is not a ciclip it is a split steel ring which compresses the seal which quite possibly is leather not cork.
With my parabollic springs I had an issue over extending front prop shaft , result can be seen in this pic

I stripped shaft flattened washer and refitted initially you could try making a new washer out of leather and refitting with old split washer.
My eventual solution is the left hand prop in pic posted earlier which is a series propshaft with range rover end flanges fitted give an increase in length of 10mm approx and increased angle.PIcs also in attached pdf
View attachment RR Prop conversion.pdf

Now thats quite an interesting modification Blackburn, especially as I've just fitted Rocky Mountain Parabolics! Is the RR flange just a staright swap then? i.e. it fits onto the axle and gearbox aswell as being the correct size for the UJ?

they all fit flange bolt wise apart from double cardan or late vehicles