[alfa] driveshaft vibrations/looseness

[Richard Lane <srlane@xxxxxxxxx>]

I have a 1967 GTV with some driveshaft issues.

A year ago I removed and went through and fixed everything on my driveshaft -
front-nose bushing, center bearing, center (old-type rubbery) support, pinion
seal (car has a 1980 rear axle so LSD), checked the UJs and they were perfect -
but still now i seem to have two types of vibration. 

One is the sort of high-speed hum style. This I think I will attempt to cure
with the hose-clamp method, right now it's not bothering me that much because I
also have...

the second vibration, most noticeable when pulling up to a stop. A real
low-speed shudder/judder tooth-rattler, this one needs to go first.

So, I jacked all 4 wheels off the ground (w/stands), took the rear wheels off
and ran the engine in gear. Not much to notice in 2nd gear, but at about
12-1500rpm in 4th gear there is a really nasty clanging/banging/rattle from the
driveshaft, so loud it was impossible to tell whether it was from front or
rear.

This then, I think, is the same as my low speed vibration, made worse by the
lack of wheels and forward inertia to dampen the vibration. Feeling the
driveshaft while still on the car it all feels pretty tight, UJs and the
splined joint all feel good. But, what doesn't feel good is the play in the
shaft as it goes into the diff. In other words, if I apply the brakes so that
the hubs don't turn, there is about 5-10 degrees of rotaional play when turning
the shaft before it binds in either direction.

So, it feels like a lot and is the only thing (I think) that could cause that
rattle. So how much play should there be there? - is it adjustable? - by the
home mechanic? Do you think that could cause my lo-speed-vibes?

Thanks for any advice, 

-Richard Lane
San Jose, CA
1967 GTV 
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