Porsche 944 cv joints for 78 bus

[Wildthings]

My van sits about halfway between the two pictures that Busdaddy posted above and I have an Oreilly axle on one side at present. Sliding under and trying to move the axles in and out, it appears there is far less movement in the Oreilly axle than the stock one. Your extra 1 1/2" of height over mine could be maxing out the extension of the axle. Reminds me that I need to get my old axle rebuilt and back on before the Oreilly axle leaves me stranded.

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[Wildthings]

I needed to do some work on my van today so I jacked the side with the Oreilly axle on it up so that I had about the same amount of tire showing as your picture shows.

At that point even though the tire was still on the ground and the torsion arm was not resting on its stop there was zero endplay in the axle shaft, meaning the axle assembly is too short and the CV's are seeing undo stress.

[Clatter]

Some really good info here!
Nice work, gentlemen.

A simple end-play back-and-forth test will tell our OP all he needs to know about the situation..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Clatter]

Just one more garbage afromarket part to watch out for!

Without these forums, we would all just be falling victim like ducks in a row..

Axles too short! Sweet Jesus!
What will they pull next?!??
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

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When ever you’re ready to swap your 944 joints, measure the overall length of the axles you currently have. I realize your springplate is not bottomed out on it’s stop, but the aftermarket joint may not be able to pivot far enough, and is in a bind. The axle may be the proper length, it just may have a lot of pressure on it not allowing it to move. This is a common thing with off-road buggies. Make sure you block the front wheels, then try jacking up one rear wheel to level the axle some, and see if you have any endplay. There’s an ad in the classifieds for OEM Bus 18 3/4 axles for $50 shipped for a pair. I’d get a set of them, and build another set of axles with your new joints when you get them, and do a simple swap. That way you would have Lobro joints, and an OEM axle that should last you the rest of your life with the Bus.

[XXX/Rx/RnR]

I have an automatic trans in my bus. Both axles are the same length. Drivers side a little long and other side a little short, but work just fine. Bout a inch and a half diff in stock length. 930's get ya 27 degrees. 2 1/2" lift u need all of it. Same set of cv's 15 years running now.
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78' westy, 2.4 195hp ecotec, audi turbo a/t, a\c, 2 1/2" lift spindles, index rear, 930 cv's & axles, 225x65x17 BFGs ## 77' hardtop 2.0 T-4 duel 44 weber's, 225x50x17s ## 74' baha bug

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[a1steaksauce]

[tristessa]

[tkgeorge_99]

So, I put in a set of 944's and 50 miles later, all seems to be okay. I'm still nervous but so far , so good. The axles move freely laterally with about an inch of play. Joints seem to be okay.

[tkgeorge_99]

For frame of reference and by way of a question... My rear fender lip is 25 1/4" from pavement. Can anyone measure their bus to give me a better idea of what "stock height" might be? Thanks my bus sits pretty level but if it's really 3" over stock, I may have to lower it to preserve CV joints. Curious to see how my bus compares to others. It's a 78, not sure if early and late bays have different heights.

[Wildthings]

[tkgeorge_99]

So, 8k miles later, 944 cv joints are doing fine. Stinking rubber boots split but a bit of pipe wrap tape and more grease injected in will do for now.