TH350 to 700R4 Driveshaft

[LT1B-Body]

Working on the 78' Malibu, just about ready to get my engine and trans in and my next obstacle is the driveshaft. The TH350 that came out of the car has a shirt 6" tail housing and is 3" shorter than the 700R4 going in. Naturally, my driveshaft will have to be some distance shorter to account for this.

I'm not confident in my ability to do this safely shorten it myself, so I'm exploring some options. It's just a cruiser with a 305, so extra strength is not a concern.
Should I just take the driveshaft to a shop, or can I pull one off a different car?

 

[old80cs]

I had one shortened at a machine shop years ago and rebalanced when I changed from a TH350 to TH700R4. Not a difficult job to have done but no idea what it’d cost in today’s money. I don’t know if there is a direct fit shaft from a donor car.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

Take it to a shop and let them do it. This is something that you want correct.

 

[Ernest]

If you happen to find a place, make sure they specialize in driveshaft modifcations and balancing... not some machine shop that says, "oh yeah, we do that too on the side". Nope

 

[78Delta88]

Precision Driveshaft in Tucson. Was a few years ago (2018). Was $150. Excellent shop.

 

[81cutlass]

In my experience-

Most shops won't shorten a driveshaft. Or at least by me. They say basically it's the same price to clean up rust and dirt and cut down and re-weld as it is to just get all new parts.

I think a th350 2nd gen camaro/firebird or 2wd 02-08 chevy trailblazer/rainier/envoy has the correct length driveshaft for a 4l60/700r4.

 

[78Delta88]

Tucson shop will need measurement from rear seal to saddle of the flange with the vehicle flat on ground, fully supporting its own weight.

You can drop off drive shaft with those measurements.

They will lengthen or shorten and balance.

Depending on where you are in Maricopa, they are probably about 3 hour drive.

There might be others in Phoenix.

 

[LT1B-Body]

Tucson shop will need measurement from rear seal to saddle of the flange with the vehicle flat on ground, fully supporting its own weight.

You can drop off drive shaft with those measurements.

They will lengthen or shorten and balance.

Depending on where you are in Maricopa, they are probably about 3 hour drive.

There might be others in Phoenix.

I'll have to check out the Tucson place, an I'm sure there's one in the Phoenix area somewhere. Both Tucson and north Phoenix are about 1.5 hrs from me.

 

[78Delta88]

Wish I knew someone in Phoenix. Hope things work out for you.

 

[spidereyes455]

When I put a T5 in my GP (which should be the same length overall)I found out that a direct fit driveshaft could be procured from a late second gen Fbody with a BUICK v6 and a th350. It has to be a buick v6 car all other engine and trans combos use a different and obviously more common shaft. The buick v6 is set in a different location in the chassis hence the need for a different driveshaft unique to that drivetrain. I came across that info years ago on the maliburacing.com tech pages.

Installing a T5 Into a 1978-1988 GM A/G Body