...and the next question...

[johny]

'I did a lot of research into UJs. About the strongest are the proper GKN Freelander type. Some people falsely think they are a different size, they are not. But they are (a) more expensive and (b) no grease nipple. But fitted to 1000's of freelanders from the factory.'

Suppose the different bearing size idea comes from the adverts that show a comparison of a standard Discovery (larger size u/j) item and the GKN uprated version for it. The photos show that although the cups OD are the same the spigots inside are bigger in diameter so giving a larger load bearing surface...

Ive never seen the same type ad for our model of u/j but as the GKN uprated model numbers are very similar its easy to assume the design is the same☹️

[Roger K]

1 hour ago, clive said:

I did a lot of research into UJs. About the strongest are the proper GKN Freelander type. Some people falsely think they are a different size, they are not. But they are (a) more expensive and (b) no grease nipple. But fitted to 1000's of freelanders from the factory.

At the time, a friend attended the TSSC leatherhead show while we were on the backs of 6 recovery trucks. He kindly grabbed 2 of the Club GKN ujs (they are the mid-range version) and popped then through my letter box ready for us to get home. We did get home in the early hours after a 20hr journey, but by mid day the UJ's were in. That is when I started digging for info. Apart from buying the stronger UJs, and fitting a few weeks later, followed by a balance, I also re-jigged the gearbox mount and indeed the diff to reduce the prop angles to within 3 degrees movement. Well, one is about 3.2, the other just under. This is on a car with a T9 gearbox and a subary diff, which means the prop is about 600mm long...

PeteH, that was my thinking also.  I used a fine TC bur in a die-grinder to smooth the casting line back, blending in gently with the rest of the metal.  It'll only fail there if there's a fault already present.

Clive - is this a standard Freelander driveshaft joint - do you happen to have a part number?   

I know what you mean regarding propshaft alignment.  When I restored by '68 Mustang fastback (you think Triumphs rust? Ha!) I changed the 289 motor for a 393, fitted a late-model Mustang 5-spd 'box and a Currie Engineering 9" rear axle.  It took a lot of work with inclinometers, calculators, shims etc. to get the driveline angles correct and reweld mounting points etc.  I've always worked to around 3°+ve and 3°-ve for driveline angles.  I seem to remember that significantly less than 3° can allow the UJs to brinell, as they're not rotating enough, and anything much over will cause vibrations.  Bailey Morris balanced it up for me and the car's as sweet as a nut now, right through to over the ton with no driveline vibrations.  And that's with a 1270mm propshaft!

[Clive]

1 minute ago, johny said:

'I did a lot of research into UJs. About the strongest are the proper GKN Freelander type. Some people falsely think they are a different size, they are not. But they are (a) more expensive and (b) no grease nipple. But fitted to 1000's of freelanders from the factory.'

Suppose the different bearing size idea comes from the adverts that show a comparison of a standard Discovery (larger size u/j) item and the GKN uprated version for it. The photos show that although the cups OD are the same the spigots inside are bigger in diameter so giving a larger load bearing surface...

Ive never seen the same type ad for our model of u/j but as the GKN uprated model numbers are very similar its easy to assume the design is the same☹️

No, some uniformed people claim the freelander UJ is metric. It isn't. 

And yes, bigger bearing surface is the key, possibly higher quality materials too. Most UJ makers (including GKN) sell several grades. Ideally you want the very best available, as an extra £20 is insignificant compared to the grief of swapping one. Below is the seller I bought mine from, though £20 at the time! And the propshaft people (Propshaft Services, Feltham, part of Bailey Morris) instantly recognised the UJs, and went on to bemoan the punters turning up with propshafts where cheap UJs had been fitted.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GKN-Land-Rover-Freelander-1-4-Cyl-Rear-Prop-Shaft-Universal-Joint-UJ-TVF100000/233752082816?fits=Model%3AFreelander&epid=654696261&hash=item366cb5b980:g:NYwAAOSwAcpfjvO1

[Clive]

5 minutes ago, Roger K said:

PeteH, that was my thinking also.  I used a fine TC bur in a die-grinder to smooth the casting line back, blending in gently with the rest of the metal.  It'll only fail there if there's a fault already present.

Clive - is this a standard Freelander driveshaft joint - do you happen to have a part number?   

I know what you mean regarding propshaft alignment.  When I restored by '68 Mustang fastback (you think Triumphs rust? Ha!) I changed the 289 motor for a 393, fitted a late-model Mustang 5-spd 'box and a Currie Engineering 9" rear axle.  It took a lot of work with inclinometers, calculators, shims etc. to get the driveline angles correct and reweld mounting points etc.  I've always worked to around 3°+ve and 3°-ve for driveline angles.  I seem to remember that significantly less than 3° can allow the UJs to brinell, as they're not rotating enough, and anything much over will cause vibrations.  Bailey Morris balanced it up for me and the car's as sweet as a nut now, right through to over the ton with no driveline vibrations.  And that's with a 1270mm propshaft!

Roger, the generic number is 1140 series, which denotes the size of the UJ. If you want the full rundown, have a look here

http://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/7468-good-small-triumph-ujs/

[Roger K]

2 minutes ago, clive said:

Roger, the generic number is 1140 series, which denotes the size of the UJ. If you want the full rundown, have a look here

http://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/7468-good-small-triumph-ujs/

Thanks Clive.  A word to the unwary - the world of Land Rover parts is murky indeed!  You will see countless suppliers offering 'OEM' or 'as OEM' - be very careful, as the dreaded Britpart repro stuff gets labelled as OEM, and it most definitely is not.  If the price is cheap, you are not getting top quality parts, it's as simple as that.  Before Clive's helpful post I googled 'Freelander UJ' and found several listed as OEM or OEM replacement for very low prices.

[johny]

The GKN number (also used by many other suppliers) is TVF100000 but the critcal bit is a G on the end of it which indicates the Freelander uprated item. Dont get mixed up and go for TVF100010G which is the stronger version for the Defender/Discovery and a different size u/j.

These are the cheapest Ive ever seen:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Freelander-TVF100000G-Propshaft-Universal-Joint-Hardy-Spicer-NOS-New/124523394528?hash=item1cfe2c35e0:g:YvEAAOSw64ZdogfY

[Roger K]

Thanks, good advice all!

[Roger K]

The Freelander joints arrived yesterday, and were duly fitted with no problems.  

The cups have a small pointed piece loose in the ends, which locates in the grease reservoir in the spider.  I've not seen this before in a UJ, and left them in place - just had a thought, should I have removed them?  My guess is that they maintain a gap between the base of the cup and the spider to allow grease to move around a bit, so should be left in.  I hope.