Front driveshaft straps install

[deveny7]

Bolts and metal u joint straps are not lining up on front shaft. Local parts store says they're GM but maybe the sizes changed? Thanks for any help. Would really appreciate a picture of a properly installed driveshaft on both joints 

[Irish_Alley]

a little more info on the truck would help. but your parts store guys arnt always trying to help some just want a pay check. go to napa, i know autozone carrys them in stock
81019 with a 1.79" hole spread

or 81000 with a 1.58 hole spread

[deveny7]

That'll do it. Need the wider spread. Np205 on a th350 just having trouble getting all the bolts through and then the wrong size straps didn't help either. I didn't get to see the shaft in place before it got yanked out so I'm blindly trying to reinstall

[Irish_Alley]

i changed my 205 yoke to the flange style, because the bolt would come out after some driving. then you try to use 4x4 and it would just fall apart. now i have the flange style never had a bolt back out since and this was a couple years ago

[deveny7]

I've seen that type before. It looks like a full replacement for the double cardan? Or can you add it onto the ujoint

[Irish_Alley]

i changed the transfer case out. but the yoke style is i think 10 splines while the flange is 32 or around there lol. so you have to swap out the output shaft on the tcase to make it work.

[moats31]

I was curious about this as well, because I had a 208 that had that flange. And my 205 has the other!  Is there a difference in strength to be worth it?

[Irish_Alley]

to me no difference in strength cause i never broke either one. but the flange hast broke (been running the past couple years) and the bolts dont back out as easy(never in my case). i think the flange is stronger but thats my opinion as i have no facts to back it up.

[Greybeard]

I think there's a lot of benefits to using the flange but I'm not sure strength is one of them. The bolts holding the flange are in shear all the time. No biggy there, the yoke they are more under tension when they are being used. There are still four holding the assembly together. Personally I like the flange for ease of assembly. YMMV.