Driveline question

[hrspwr1]

Hello all..new to the forum and eager to gain from all of your experiences.  Just purchased a new project..78 Chev 2wd, 1/2 ton long box, 350/350.  Have plans on keeping it a driver as I tackle one mod at a time.  First question I had was about the two piece drive shaft and carrier bearing.  My father-in-law has basically the same truck, (finished by someone else and purchased), only with a one piece drive shaft.  Is this a modification or did some trucks come with a one piece driveshaft?  I'd like to convert mine to one piece and was wondering if Chevy made a vehicle that the one piece drive shaft would swap out of?  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

[LTZ C20]

1 piece drive shafts came on the 4wd models, being the transfer case takes up space. My 73 is a 2 piece also, but I plan on getting a 1 piece aluminum in the near future. Is your father-in-law ' s drive shaft steel or aluminum,  if it's a aluminum I would say it's been swapped at some point or custom made, if steel, is the truck 4wd? If not 4wd, probably custom made too? Not sure on exactly when GM started using the one piece aluminums, 2 piece steels are still used today on newer trucks. Hope this helps.

[Irish_Alley]

all my truck except the crew cab are one piece. my 86c10 lwb th350, 79k20 sm465/205 lwb, 84k30 was a th400 now its a 4l60 lwb and 94 c1500 4l60e swb. pretty sure they all are steel shafts also. the main thing with drive shafts is they have a certain length they can reach before they have to be one piece. the bigger they are the more mass they have to spin. so theres a diameter limit also with them. in order to make them thicker you also have to increase the diameter
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=27220.msg226479#msg226479

[Captkaos]

There is a post on here somewhere but all the ones I have ever looked at or worked on 1 piece = standard duty, 2 piece = heavy duty.

[hrspwr1]

Thanks everyone...was out of town for a few days so its taken me a while to get back to you.  I appreciate the help.  I guess I'll keep my eyes open and see if i come across any one piece drive shafts that will work...I need to measure my father-in-laws and see what he has.  So far this is the only one I've come across that is one piece.  thanks again..