Drive shaft advice

With old engine stripped out I find I have post 1974 drive shafts with inner CV joints BUT I have a (possibly) recon engine with a diff designed for the rubber inner joints. What is the best way forward. Do I take off diff from removed engine and fit to recon engine? Are the diffs compatible?

Laurence

I believe diffs are generally interchangeable. However it's good practice to keep the final drive pinion and diff crownwheel together as a set, so that means the pinion needs to be swapped. It's also a good idea to keep the diff housing with its gearbox, as they are bored for fixings together as a pair. However, if you swap a diff from one 'box to another, you'll need to re-shim it to get the bearing preload right - details in Haynes.

If the old gearbox is in good nick it may be worth swapping it onto the recon engine: if marginally good it may be worth overhauling it with new bearings & baulk rings.

Do the rubber coupling boxes come with the early magic wand or cooper remote style gear lever ? If so the casings are probably different, been a long while since I have looked at one.

Thanks Gents. From what I can see the diffs are the same and both have the long rod lever gear change. The old engine is definitely buggered but I don't know the state of the gearbox. The recon engine has new flywheel and clutch so I am hoping a gearbox in good condition. I guess I'll strip both diffs first and see condition.

OK I think I've confused myself and worried unnecessarily. The UJ knocked off and I'm left with a splined shaft identical to the CV shafts on the car.

Looks like you're in luck then!
I had an idea that there were 3 different types of inboard universal joint: rubber Maltese cross, Hardy Spicer UJ and pot joint.  Each has a different spline pattern, and a different diff output shaft to match. However I thought I'd better check before I posted - details here.

I looked at that but the output shaft depicted is held on by a bolt - mine has no such bolt.  I think I must have some hybrid

I thought the helix on the diff gears was different on the early gearboxes with the "malteses cross" type joints, I know they are different on the drop gears.