Hey guys,
I have a 69 Bee that I just got a driveshaft for and I am a bit concerned with the amount of slip yoke travel I have. I just got this back fro Inland Empire Driveline and I had it straightened and balanced. It has new 7290 joints and a very nice OEM tranny yoke. The problem I see is that I have about 1-5/8" of travel measureed from bottoming out on the 727 tailshaft to the Dana yoke UJ centerline. This is a 50.96" shaft. Is this correct? I just dumped $130.00 for the work and I would prefer to use it. Can someone confirm that this is right ?
Thanx
Bud

According to the 69 factory parts book, 50.96" is the correct length. I would check the overall length of the slip yoke. I have seen them in a couple of different lengths.

The slip yoke barrel length is about 6" and the overall is around 8". It's the standard length. I'm not aware that there is any 29-spline, 7290 yokes that are any longer, is there?
Thanx,
Bud

Some slip yokes are longer but the front portion has no splines.

Well, mine has no splines in the first 2-inches or so. Hmmm, time for a new one I guess.
Thanx!
Bud

I wouldn't say it's too much by too much. Is the rear higher? Different pinion angle? Wouldn't 1-1.5 inch be considered optimum?

Well, I triple-checked everything and what I can surmise is that the shaft , for whatever reason, is just a tad too short for my application. My car is sitting at stock height, it has the staggered OEM springs (5 and 2 halves RH and 6 LH) and the pinion is nose-down 4* so I have nearly "0" driveshaft angle and all is god in the trans area as well.
I just bit the bullet and ordered a brand new shaft from Brent at Driveshaft Specialists in San Antone TX (my home town )
Now I have an extra, newly balanced original A-12 Super Bee shaft for my parts hoard!

Thanx,
Bud

Compare your installation to the factory drawing below using the back of the tailhousing-to-centerline dimension of 3.74".

I'm afraid that you will have a vibration prob w that amt of play. I had less than that (don't remem the exact amt but I shoot for 3/4") & had a prob & that was a low perf 318/904 in an early A. It would vibrate at certain speeds at random & I got a 1" longer shaft/swapped yokes & ujoints & it's quiet now. As said diff yokes have diff spline lengths inside but I still had a prob even w picking a yoke w the most amt of spline length I could come up w till I finally just bit the bullet & swapped out the shaft.

Here's a pic of a 7290 slip yoke (subject of the OP) installed in a 727 (subject of OP) at the 3.75" dimension. Notice the proximity of the radius on the yoke to the dust seal...any closer would be too close.

The old "one-inch from bottoming" rule doesn't work with this type of seal. Since the factory ran them at the pictured depth I'd say it's not extended too far.

Thx for that pic. I was also worried mine was not in far enough.
I always read the 1" rule, but with that rubber seal, it seems like +2" is sticking out.

Thanx for the post. I don't have the boot seal on mine, however so I am keeping with the "one inch out" rule.
Thanx ,
Bud

**UPDATE**
Well, I had another DL made by the good folks at Driveshaft Specialists in San Antonio, TX. I got a real nice 3.5" aluminum unit. One of the best places I have found for drivelines! I even went out there and took a brief tour of the shop and spoke with Brent in person. One helluva nice guy and a first-class operation! Gotta love Texas . It just so happened that the pinion yoke on the Dana was that off of a Ford truck! I guess the PO trashed the orig unit and this is what he found to replace it with. The overall height of the Ford yoke was about 1" shorter than the Chrysler unit and this was the cause of my length descrepancy in the first place. The Fords used 1330BC "u" joints on the trucks and vans in the earlier years and this is why I thought it was a 7290 because they share the same OD caps. But, what tipped off Brent at Drive Shaft Specialists was when I told him mine had retaining tabs instead of the normal inside lock circlip styles commonly found in Mopars.

Now I'm mobile again and with a 17lb shaft!!
Booyaaa!

W the correct yoke would the 1st d shaft they made have worked?

Nope. I took my original to IEDS to get balanced because of the vibration I was getting and it was not until I started probing around that I realized it was too short. That just gave me the opportunity to get a new shaft the correct length out of aluminum. The OEM would have fit if I would have had the right pinion yoke in the first place but, what is done is done. Now I have a better, lighter unit in place.

I agree