The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 57 3100 squeaky driveline diagnosis?

I finally was able to take my first drive with my "new" 57 1/2 -ton pickup. It was a very short drive, maybe a mile or so at speeds not exceeding 30 mph. It has the 235 engine and stock 3-speed tranny. I immediately noticed squeaking that increases in frequency with vehicle speed when driving in gear. There's no noticeable squeak when coasting in neutral. I hear it when going forward. I haven't heard it in reverse. The noise seems to be coming from the lower middle of the truck rather than from the rear, but I can't swear to that. My first instinct is a bad front u-joint. The "maintenance" done on this truck over the years seems to have been almost non-existent and it may have been decades since either of the u-joints have been greased. It probably would be money and time well spent to replace both u-joints but I don't like to just start throwing new parts onto a vehicle without being sure first what the problem is. Where else should I be looking in addition to u-joints? It appears that if I split the rear joint by removing the u-bolts that entire propeller shaft could be removed from the vehicle. Is the front yoke of the front u-joint simply splined onto the transmission mainshaft? That's the only spot that I can see to accommodate front/rear movement of the propeller shaft when driving. I'm more familiar with the older AD torque tube set up. This is my first "newer" truck with an open driveline. Where do I start? Thanks!