I was able to pick up two Astro steering shafts today. One from a 2wd and the other from an AWD. I have looked and looked and know the AWD is approximate 1" to 1-1/4'' longer than the 2wd. However I have been unable to find out if the AWD shaft will indeed work or not? Can anyone pin this down?
2wd vs AWD Astro Steering Shaft
- Thread starter Rapidride2
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I have a Astro shaft but to be honest I dident know there was a difference I just grabbed one that was nice and under a uncut boot
Steve, (PontiacGP) claims there is a difference, but I've never encountered an AWD Astro- Safari yet to make a comparison.
I have looked at a '94 Astro and from what I could tell, they're different. They're not encased in the rubber cocoon as the later years..and the shaft appears to be on more of an angle coming out of the firewall and seems to have a rubber sleeve on it.
If you can post a pic of them, that would great.
I'm thinking the 1"-1.5" longer isn't going to make a difference.
I have looked at a '94 Astro and from what I could tell, they're different. They're not encased in the rubber cocoon as the later years..and the shaft appears to be on more of an angle coming out of the firewall and seems to have a rubber sleeve on it.
If you can post a pic of them, that would great.
I'm thinking the 1"-1.5" longer isn't going to make a difference.
I have always read that the AWD shaft would not work but I have never tried one to see if it fits. What I have read may be wrong though so it would be nice if the op would let us know if it does fit
The longer AWD sbaft is spoken of in the popular astro shaft YouTube video however the gentleman never said if it worked it not. I will try to post pics later on.
Start the video at 2:35.
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I have seen that video before, and come to think of it, I do recall him mentioning the different length shafts. Other than the difference in length, they're otherwise identical.
I'm sure it can be used. The standard 2WD shaft is actually shorter than the Jeep shaft.
He did say he was going to try the longer shaft on his own car.
I'm sure it can be used. The standard 2WD shaft is actually shorter than the Jeep shaft.
He did say he was going to try the longer shaft on his own car.
Here are some pics I took. I picked up a second AWD shaft today for a whopping $6. In these pics both these shafts are fully collapsed.
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Thanks for posting the pics indicating the difference between both shafts. I now see that the long shaft appears to have a longer U-joint at one end. I still think it's usable.
Yes thats the only difference I see as well. It's gonna be a while before i test fit, hope it all fits okay.
Even if it fits it may not be safe to use it. The collapsible shaft is there for a purpose and if it cannot collapse to at least the length the system was designed for you may not want to use it.
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