my 93 cobra needs a new DS and i have the aluminum one coming out of my 94 with the addition of the new tranny soon... i know its a long shot, but can i use the FMS alum DS in my 93 cobra? it has a tremec 3550 and auburn pro posi, but i don't think that changes anything... thanks!
I just took an 87 GT 5spd shaft I had laying around and set in next to my aluminum shaft from my 96 T45 Cobra. From bottom surface of flange to the tip of the yoke, the 96 shaft overall was shorter. The shaft itself though was about 1/4" longer...the difference was in the style of ends that held the U joints. So yes, it will work.
i've got them all out now, 3 sitting right next to eachother. The stock 94 one, the 94 alum one and the one i just pulled from the 93. They're all the same length with slight variations in U-joints.
One thing i did not see was noticable wear. With the noises and vibrations that DS was making, i was execting to see some worn metal or play in the joint, but nothing. The car does have 206K miles on it, but the tranny only has 30K and the rear no more than 60K... maybe that's the original DS? lol
oh well, I'll update again tonight when its on the road.
PS i noticed some crack in the steel down there where the upper contorl arm mounts to the car. F...