Re: [Chrysler300] Driving Mr. Barber

On the b&t, to me , the issue is vibration ,( mainly) --the shims, the pin centering perfectly and the housing denting / wearing in one spot . I have had maybe 20 300's about half vibrated around 70 . Life is too short to fight that issue incrementally .
.. Along with a day to rebuild it . You can correct for extremely slight off center assembly of it , by external balance , yes . And then have it vibrate anyway a month later . John Chesnutt mentions a genius guy putting solder on to balance it .i like that . I might ask my buddy ( super good guy John ) why you were there in the first place for a day , getting it balanced , yet again ? Big smile , John !

Max wedge probably had 4:56 gears and ten inch tires. You cannot even hurt an 83/4 in such a light car .. The wheels spin . I Had a hemi E body , like driving on ice , unless "set up ". As George demoed for us in Maine , even a relatively light J can snap driveshaft parts .that takes real traction =weight on back wheels. 3:23 . In the day , I had a 392 in a 57 Dodge with Packard trans velvetouch metallic clutch disc with 3800 lbs of B&B spring .( my own D501!) ( oil truck clutch -- a big mistake , that disc ) the b&t lasted two nights , drag racing . The first time a b&t made the joyful sound of hitting the bottom of the trash can in the Grady garage was on that car in 61. Give me a "real u joint " off a truck.or Packard . Mopar big cars sit down dig in and go , off the line in 57-61 era , chebbies burn or bog, if spiders did not break . .( see the HRM 62 300 H special--into the 12's) Max wedge does great if all set up , but er sliding sideways er might have happened .

Reminds me of how much people love Toyotas . Or Ramblers. Or VW . If you only go 40 , even in the left lane , with Windows steamed up , they don't break down . Or "glass gears " in a Porsche ( I only drag w rolling start --). My first never breaks ,that is rumor.

I personally love flatheads , ( Spitfire , Hudson) Studebakers ( on which every part is 5/8 a real car) but to me the only reason b&t exists into 50's is it saved $$$$$ spent making an expensive precision m&f involute spline setup 6-7" long that slides . That machining and stock to do it then weld to shaft precisely cost more than the whole driveshaft ,probably .

But love this site and the back and forth . Helps all of us . A lot .. Fun too . We were all there ...
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 9, 2016, at 9:03 PM, "skyhawk@xxxxxxxxx" <skyhawk@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I can't recall any issues with the b&t joints back in the Sixties when I was racing Mopars at the strip. We ran them on Max Wedge cars with slicks, gave them basic maintenance and replaced the rubber boots when they occasionally split. If they'll take the punishment of a neutral drop start on a Max Wedge Plymouth, I expect they'll withstand anything a 300-anything can dish out. Got to be careful with the balance after replacement, though. dc

-----Original Message-----
From: "Sheldon swotring@xxxxxxx [Chrysler300]"
Sent: Apr 9, 2016 8:31 PM
To: Rich Barber , 'Jack Boyle' , 'John Grady' , 'William Leahy'
Cc: 'Rob Kern' , Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Driving Mr. Barber

The big advantage to the b&t joint is that it would be almost impossible for the drive shaft to drop in the event of a failure.
I believe this is why they continued to use them in the front even after they changed in the rear.
It would prevent an unfortunate 'pole-vaulting' event.
Sheldon
PA

On 4/9/2016 5:15 PM, 'Rich Barber' c300@xxxxxxx [Chrysler300] wrote:

I submit that the old U-joint design was great for strength, but not so good in that the probability of proper long-term maintenance, lubrication and protection of the joint was low—leading to failure. The old design required that the boot hold up forever or be regularly inspected and promptly replaced (yes, difficult) if ripped, split, torn or otherwise leaking grease out and dirt and water in. The Spicer joints used to have a grease fitting on them that would facilitate periodically displacing old and aging grease with fresh. But, we lubed the chassis and U-joints every thousand miles or so. Failure to lube the joint periodically led to really nasty failures.

I had a hip joint replaced five years ago and my surgeon told me that joint is surrounded by a muscular and flexible capsule that holds synovial lubricating fluid. This capsule is opened for the surgery and sewed back up afterward so the Ti and HDPE joint will also be lubricated. The original patent is pending but it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Rich Barber

Rainy Brentwood, CA

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 'Jack Boyle' jackcboyle@xxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2016 7:59 AM
To: 'John Grady' <jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 'William Leahy' <bleahy@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: 'Rob Kern' <robkern@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Smooth as Silk drive shaft : )

I have had the original B&T joint in my C-300 for 115,000 miles. I rebuilt it the 70’s at 50,000 miles and replaced a few pins and the buttons last year before we drove it to Chicago and on to Oklahoma on route 66. I think, taken care of they handle much more than an L-head 6.

…Jack

IMG_6658 - Copy.JPG

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Grady jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Saturday, April 9, 2016 6:34 AM
To: William Leahy
Cc: Rob Kern; <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Smooth as Silk drive shaft : )

I have done this .. Way to go .the old one is a very poor design . Good only for flat six . That is a great price . Maybe make some deal w club --send our shafts there . Even with 100$ ship if they are good and do it well it is a great deal . Too many duffers will ruin shaft . You need to be skilled to do perfectly , have right equipment . Nice find Rob .

The flanged Fitting for a modern joint is used on Winnebago motor homes , not an uncommon part .

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 9, 2016, at 12:14 AM, William Leahy bleahy@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I need to address this / thankx, Bill Leahy in summer like Kennewick, Washington

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 8, 2016, at 7:47 PM, "'Rob Kern' robkern@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]" <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hello 300’ly to all!

I just replaced the front ball and trunion u-joint assembly on my C with the upgrade of the slip assembly more modern front u-joint and I must say that I could not be more pleased. The car runs as smooth as silk and is quieter. It almost feels like the vehicle is at peace with itself! I had tremors develop between 30 and 40 mph upon easy acceleration and again when accelerating above 60mph. The front U-joint had 1/16th inch play. The grease retention boot was replaced a month ago when discovered that it left the party who knows how long ago. The new u-joint was installed to the front of the driveshaft which was balanced with the rear u-joint in place and then installed. Precision Drive Shaft in Oklahoma City did all the work and obtained all the parts . 3 day turn around time. $298.00. Many thanks to Club members Mike Burke, George McKovich, Larry Jett, Murray Park and Jeff Carter for discussing the upgrade and helping me decide to go this route! Rob Kern

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