Drive shaft compatibility?

[a2thy]

I went to change out my drive shaft center bearing because it was completely ripped apart and clearly needed to be replaced. What I didn't realize right away was that the portion of the drive shaft within the center bearing was also in rough shape. It was difficult to tell what was what due to the inner race having welded itself onto the drive shaft, but it didn't look salvageable.

From what I've found, a new drive shaft is around $220. In my opinion that's too much for a truck that I don't plan on keeping much longer. The truck is a '97 Mazda B2300 2wd 5 speed manual extended cab short bed. Anyone know what vehicles I could find a compatible drive shaft from? Which RBVs, body styles, and year ranges should I be looking through? I really only need the front section of the rear drive shaft, assuming it won't cause balancing issues if I use drive shaft sections from two different trucks.

 

[97rangerxlt23]

my ranger did the same exact thing and looked the same as u mentioned looking like it wont be saveable... i took it in and they pressed it off no problem... my eyes it looked toasted because i went a week eating that inner race away lol haha...

 

[Andy D]

I would remove the race with various hand tools. A light touch with a grinder or a Dremel and Slowly and Carefully grind it off. If the new bearing is a tad loose, fill in the gouges with JB Weld. Let the stuff set overnight. The center bearing came off the shaft easily when I took the shafts out of the Rat. The bearing was dry as a bone, but spun freely, so I packed it best as I could. So far, so good .

 

[a2thy]

Thank you for giving me an alternative to replacement, I'll go that route if feasible. Given my current situation I think I would be able to aquire used parts more easily and maybe even more cheaply than aquiring the tools or a shop needed to separate the remnants of the old bearing from the existing drive shaft. I'll work on finding any solution though. In case salvaging the old drive shaft isn't an option, does anyone know specifically what vehicles have the same two piece drive shaft that my truck has? or if it's generally a bad idea to use a used drive shaft comprised of sections from two different trucks?

Note: This is for my '97 Mazda B2300 2wd 5 speed manual ext cab short bed, not the Ranger listed under my information.

 

[a2thy]

Anyone?

 

[Andy D]

No it is not advisable to mix and match drive shaft bits. That being said, Ive done it before without any problems. On another car. Keeping the U joints in phase is key. YMMV