"Why the aversion to having a shaft cut?"
no aversion here, as i am lucky to have a couple of shops within a 30-40 minute drive time, and they do excellent work as well as allowing me the privilege to watch the proceedings and methods used to get the results needed or desired.
others do not have the luxury to do so.
if having a shaft shortened, i will take it to either of these shops, depending on when i can be fit in, with the time frame i have for the project at hand.
if i need a shaft lengthened [re-tubed being the only option to do this the correct way] i will cut the weld yokes from the old shaft here, then take them to the shop and have the new tube fitted and welded up.
in fact, just visited one of these shops wednesday, to have a shaft cut 1" and balanced. it wasn't my shaft, rather for my best friend's 54 chevy mild custom.
the shaft in the car was done when he purchased it a year ago, and there has always been an almost imperceptible cyclical vibration only under minimal power application necessary to maintain a 70-80mph interstate cruise condition.
upon measuring the shaft installed in the car, it was discovered an almost .035" [thirty five thousandths of an inch] runout in the shaft close to the middle of the tube.
he had a tube laying around in his stash that was just a tick over 1" longer and in perfect condition, so he elected to cut this one down and install new joints in it, as opposed to re-tubing the one in the car.
took it to the shop, arriving just about 10 minutes after it opened.
his shaft was spun first just to confirm it wasn't bent or out of round.
then it was cut, re-welded, new [spicer brand] joints installed, then balanced. total time out the door was 1hr, 52 minutes. this also included the "mandatory BS" time.
shop rate is by the hour [$140.00 per] plus parts.
total cost with joints was $138.00 and change, plus tax. [these guys know us and are gearheads themselves, and always want to hear about our latest projects, thus the "buddy pricing"]
good deal, and as a side benefit, no more vibration in his car.
[as if we expected anything else]
the original shaft from the car was marked as to the defect, [in case our "oldtimers disease makes us "forget"] then placed in his stash for "future use" when something else comes along.
