The 1965 Buick Riviera has had some driveline vibrations and who knows when the last time that the U joints have been replaced. It’s probably safe to say it’s overdue to have them replaced. Sometimes U Joints get overlooked and are only replaced when they break or cause other drivability issues. The Riviera has a very unique, for a classic car, 2 piece driveshaft and Buick call is a Constant Velocity joint. That joint is better known to the Jeep and truck world as a Double Cardan Joint.
To start out, the car is set up on jack stands and I start to get things prepped to remove the driveshaft. I use a drain pan under the tail of the transmission to catch fluid that comes out when the drive shaft is removed. The carrier bearing bolts are removed from its mount and the flange at the differential is undone. Once removed I can start to assess the condition of the driveshaft, U Joints and carrier bearing. The U joint on the front does not move as cleanly as I would like, and an obvious sign of U joint issues.
Parts were acquired and all 5 U joints are the same and use Moog 234 U joints, the carrier bearing was sourced from OPGI, and I also needed a 1 ⅞” wrench to be able to separate the 2 halves of the drive shaft. The parts to replace the wear parts of the Double Cardan are obsolete and no longer available. At this time I will not be replacing the parts of the Double Cardan.
I’m using a hydraulic press to press out the U joints, there are other options that include a dedicated U joint press or other combination tool. Mark the driveshaft so that the yoke and driveshaft can be put back in the same orientation. Replacing the U joint involves pressing on opposing sides until the caps can be removed. Replace the U joint being careful not to ruin or lose any of the rollers inside the caps, which would need a new U joint. The factory Buick Manual calls out to rap on the heavy ears near the cap with a hammer to set the C clips.
Next time I’ll tackle the Double Cardans and the Carrier Bearing!
1 ⅞” Wrench – https://amzn.to/3XHuoQQ
Moog 234 U joints, you will need 5 total – https://amzn.to/3iUo6Pl
Ball and suspension joint press – https://amzn.to/3iUo6Pl
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