Written by Gary Billings
Putting a CV-style front driveshaft into a Scout 80/800 is very simple and only requires a little time and some basic hand tools. A CV-style driveshaft allows the driveshaft to operate at a greater angle than a stock driveshaft setup. In my case, I have a '
67 Scout 800 with a spring-over setup and Scout II Dana 44's. My front pinion is pointed at the transfer case, creating a situation where the angles are not equal and opposite. As a result, when driving around in 4wd, the front driveshaft would bind up and create a loud knocking noise. I needed a CV-style front driveshaft.
The first thing I did was head to my local junkyard to get a CV-style driveshaft. There are a few vehicles that have the right one. Full size 1980's Ford Broncos and 70s/80s Jeep Waggoneers are two that I checked out. Both have front shafts that are long enough. Find one that has a CV-style end that has the least amount of wear and play. When you remove the driveshaft, make sure to save the bolts that go through the yoke into the CV-style end. You'll need these later. I bought the one from the Bronco for $35.
The next step is to measure how long the new front driveshaft should be and get it shortened. Measure from the center of the yoke on the transfer case to the center of the yoke on the front axle. In my case it was 24 1/2". I took the driveshaft and the measurement to my friend that works in a driveshaft shop and had him shorten it and balance it. It cost me nothing, but a shop could probably do it for $30 or so. Make sure that they cut it leaving enough back and forth movement on the splines. Otherwise, the driveshaft may pull apart or bottom out. I got mine back the next day and it was perfect.
The third step is to replace the front yoke on the Dana 20 transfer case. The yoke is different for the CV-style driveshaft because the holes are closer together. The early Ford Broncos used a Dana 20 and a CV-style front driveshaft, so if you can find one of these in a junkyard, pull the yoke off of it. For the rest of us where salt has eaten up any vehicle over 20 years old. call up Jeff's Bronco Graveyard or visit their website at
www.broncograveyard.com . Their part number is 11621 and a used one costs $20. This part will work for Scout 80/800's with a twin stick Dana 20 transfer case with a 10-spline front output shaft. I'm not certain if this will work for a Dana 18 or the later Scout II Dana 20's. I ordered one online and got it 3 days later.
I removed the nut holding the yoke onto the transfer case using a 1 1/8" socket and a breaker bar. Make sure to put the transmission into gear and put the transfer case into 4wd so the shaft the nut is attached to doesn't turn. After the nut and washer were removed, I took a small hammer and tapped the yoke from the backside to get it off. Make sure to put a drain pan under it because oil will run out. Once I got the yoke off, I swapped the dirt ring from the Scout yoke onto the Bronco yoke. The Bronco dirt ring has a different offset to it and will grind on the transfer case. The ring is pressed on, so I held the yoke in a bench vise and used a chisel at an angle to knock it off. Next, I slipped the new yoke onto the transfer case shaft and filled the area around the shaft with Permatex blue silicone gasket maker. Then I put the washer on and put the nut on and tightened it all. The reason for the silicone is that the oil can leak out through the splines on the shaft and that's not good.
The final step is to install the CV-style front driveshaft onto the Scout. You might want to put some silicone on the threads on the bolts going into the CV-style end so they don't come loose. The total cost for me was about $61 and it took about 3 hours of total time including the time pulling the shaft at the junkyard. Happy trails and good luck!
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