John, I don't see how that U-joint is going to cause a problem,
a needle U-joint has been the standard for many, many decades.
The lubricant called for in the old service manuals was gear
oil not chassis grease. If there are no seals in the bearing
caps the transmissioin lubricant should get to the needles just
fine. Not everything made in China is junk. Made in Japan had
that stigma when I was a kid growing up in the 50's but look at
where they are now, they're building our cars, our electronics,
our machine tools and on and on.
I think that needle bearing U-joint is a vast improvement over
the steel bushing one that was originally in the trucks. I'm
suprised we haven't seen them offered by JC, Chevs of the 40,
Filling Station, LMC or the Truck & Car Store.
As Tim pointed out, just make sure that you keep the
transmission topped off to the fill hole because the ball is
going to soak some up till it levels off.
I only wish they would start making one for the 3600 series trucks.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by Denny Graham; 05/15/2013 8:23 AM.
