Installed lift kit, now drive-shafts look funny!

[idower]

Hi,

I just recently installed a Rough Country 4-spring lift kit w/ shocks (and I hated every minute of it). Rough Country claims that no other modifications are necessary. However, now both my front and rear drive-shafts look kind of odd. The kit has caused the shafts to extend. Now I can just see a small blue plastic piece protruding out of the seal.

Driving around and hitting some REALLY deep pot-holes hasn't appeared to effect anything and I don't hear any alarming noises either. What are these blue plastic pieces peeking out of both of my drive-shafts. My hunch is that they are supposed act as retainers, so that the driveshafts don't fall apart.

Should I be worried or is this "normal"?

Thanks

[River Beast]

Sounds like you have maxed out your drivelines...best way to check how much travel you have left is like this:

Mark the splines on the shaft as it sits with something bright (grease pencil)

Disconnect your shaft from the dif side sitting normal.

Drop the shaft just below the yoke and extend it to the max and see how much shaft you have left from your mark.

As a rule of thumb... your shaft should have enuf travel to extend as much out as it does being pushed in.

In other words... if the total amount of travel on the slip is 5", you should have 2.5" of extended travel from where it sits on the rig. That gives the same 2.5" of travel when the susp is compressed.

Do the same method on both shafts to determine how much travel you have.

Good luck....I hope I didn't confuse you http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
Todd
78 Wagoneer, "River Beast"
360/TH400/QT
Dana 44's locked w/ 4.89's
39.50x15x15 Super Swamper TSL's
7" SOA in front-7" Rear Shackle Inversion Mods
4" Skyjacker Softride
3" Trailmaster Bodylift
My FSJ site: http://www.geocities.com/spazz4life (http://www.geocities.com/spazz4life)
My E-mail: monster_fsj@hotmail.com
"If you can't stop...SMILE as you go under!"

'93 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburban...a.k.a. "FSJ Hauler"

[ClarkGriswald]

The blue plastic you are seeing is a plastic coating that is on the splines of the male part of the shaft (driveshaft condom? sorrry). but you are actually seeing the spline part of the shaft. that is coated in a tooldip kinda protective coating. it just keeps it from being metal to metal contact in there.. you should be ok, from what ive seen there seems to be plenty of shaft there so you shouldnt be slipping or damaging that part of the shafts.. (ive spun front splines in chevys that were both stock and lifted, they had very little of the whole spline area in contact with each other, these jeep ones seem to be setup a little better)