I did not want to install 'rebuilt' halfshafts (just a headache waiting to happen), nor was I willing to cough up for new Toyota halfshafts (too expensive). What I did find, after a lot of searching on the 'Net, was a California company by the name of EMPI that manufactures NEW Rzeppa style outboard cv joints for our Tercels (my info is that the same halfshafts are used in '83 thru '86 sedans AND in ALL '83 thru '88 wagons). See the EMPI site here http://www.empius.com/drive_axles.html
The bottom line is that I now have NEW EMPI outboard Rzeppa style cv joints, new EMPI shafts and rebuilt inner Toyota tripod joints. Let me tell you that these new outer joints are TIGHT - smooth at highway speeds (used to have an annoying slight front end vibration), nice really tight steering (used to be quite loose, more like power steering) - NO looseness at all. I got the halfshafts from a local rebuilder who is also a distributor in B.C. for EMPI. If you have a look at the EMPI site, their catalogue will show complete new halfshaft assemblies, but my B.C. supplier says they are no longer available. What is available, he says, is the new shafts and new outboard Rzeppa cv joints. Highly recommended! The two halfshaft assemblies cost me $125 Cdn each.
John, of JMC Industries in Abbotsford http://www.jmcindustriesltd.com/Welcome.htm has this to say about the stock Toyota outboard fixed tripod cv joints "you can't rebuild them", and he does not rebuild them in his business. Now I know why so many 'rebuilt' ones are no good or quickly become no good. He says the quality of the rebuild for our outer cv joints depends on how good the core is to start with, and not too much can be done with them.
There is a good page here about rebuilding cv joints http://www.aa1car.com/library/cvgrind.htm one here about cv joints http://www.aa1car.com/library/cvjoint1.htm and one here on cv joint service & repair http://www.aa1car.com/library/cvjoint2.htm
John has told me he can drop ship to USA addresses, but any of you who may be interested in pursuing the EMPI route could either contact John thru the JMC website or email EMPI to inquire about a local EMPI distributor. I certainly can recommend John, based on my experience - he was very helpful, responded to my initial phone call very quickly, and freely shared his knowledge.
Here are a couple of pics I took of a stock 'rebuilt' Toyota halfshaft. This was installed in the last year of life of my parts car ('86 Tercel 2-door) by its previous owner. I can tell you it was/is a good example of a noisly, loose and clunky/clicky rebuilt.
On the left is the outer, fixed tripod style cv joint 'tulip'. Note the ugly black mark in the pic at about 3-o'clock. This is a major wear indentation in the tulip corresponding to the main driving force of the tulip on one of the cv joint's tripod 'rollers'. All three tulip 'petals' had this - this rebuilt joint was extremely sloppy. To the left of the tulip is the spring steel cv joint assembly retainer which holds the joint from coming apart when assembled.
In the center is the other 'half' of the outer cv joint. Notice how the rollers are captured during the manufacturing process. How to install larger diameter rollers, which a desireable rebuild would entail - you tell me.
On the right are the two components of the inboard joints - the tulip, which can be ground during rebuild, and the roller assembly, which rollers can be changed out for new, larger ones during rebuild.
A close up shot of the outboard tulip and other half of the joint. Note the lovely big dimple worn into the tulip 'petal'. As I mentioned, all three tulip drive parts had these ugly dimples = noise and lots of joint slop.
Close up of the inboard sliding tripod joint components. The rollers are held on by snap rings, so its a simple matter to replace these rollers during a rebuild.
One thing I just remembered - the halfshafts I got from JMC came without the metal 'flingers' installed on the outer cv joints. I only became aware of this after I got home. It was no big deal for me to just remove two fairly new flingers from the two 'rebuilt' halfshafts I had and install them on the new EMPI halfshafts. But if anyone decides to go the same route I did, make sure the halfshafts have (new) flingers inastalled on the outer cv joints.
