I purchased a new (to me) 2001 dodge ram 2500 and it didn't come with a front drive shaft. I then purchased a used front drive shaft from a local junk yard, and it seems to be about an inch and a half too long.

My question is A) Where do I measure to and from for the length? and B) How long is it supposed to be?

The measurements I have on the drive shaft i purchased are 30 1/2" from the flange to center of front u-joint, and 28 13/16" from center to center of the 2 outermost u-joints, and the tube length is 16"....

Any help is greatly appreciated as no part stores are open today, and searching the internet seems to only bring me over priced parts and no lengths/usefull information.

-Dan, CO

 

i don't have any measurements, but i'd guess that you might have gotten a 1500 drive shaft for the smaller dana 44 front end. your 2500 has a dana 60 and is a little bigger and beefier.

ask your local junk yard for an exchange...

 

and that issue would be pure length? cuz from what i can tell the drive shaft i bought should slip right in, only if it were only a bit shorter....

 

there should be a slip joint on the driveshaft, is that compressed all the way?

The smaller axle will put the yoke a bit further away as well.

 

yes it is, i should have stated that earlier, sorry

 

Then I would suspect that the above poster was correct, and you got a half-ton driveshaft, and not the 3/4 ton. Check with the yard you got it from, and see what they pulled it off of.