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High Clearance HD Rear Driveshaft, 66-77 Ford Bronco - Made in USA SKU: 8581

High Clearance HD Rear Driveshaft, 66-77 Ford Bronco - Made in USA

High Clearance HD Rear Driveshaft, 66-77 Ford Bronco - Made in USA

Purchase High Clearance HD Rear Driveshaft, 66-77 Ford Bronco - Made in USA
$419.95 SKU: 8581

Fits 66-77 Ford Bronco
22 Reviews
Running Length (Center U-Joint to Center U-Joint):

Product Overview:

Built from premium, US-sourced DOM tubing and loaded with top-tier components, the High Clearance Rear Driveline for the 1966-77 Ford Bronco delivers strength where it counts. Each shaft comes fully assembled and includes #8582 bolts and a grease tool for easy CV maintenance right out of the box.

Full description

Built from premium, US-sourced DOM tubing and loaded with top-tier components, the High Clearance Rear Driveline for the 1966-77 Ford Bronco delivers strength where it counts. Each shaft comes fully assembled and includes #8582 bolts and a grease tool for easy CV maintenance right out of the box.


Early Bronco Rear Driveline | High Clearance | Made in USA

If you’re running a long-travel suspension on your classic Bronco, your stock driveshaft isn’t going to cut it. The High Clearance Rear Driveline for the 1966-77 Ford Bronco is built from the ground up for strength, articulation, and trail clearance. Made in the USA from premium DOM tubing with full-length splines and forged slip yokes, this driveshaft is designed to hold up where cheap imports give out. It’s a no-compromise solution for serious off-road rigs.

Pro Tip: Always measure for your driveshaft with your Bronco sitting level on flat ground, fully assembled, and at full ride weight—meaning engine, suspension, bumpers, top, and everything else installed. A common mistake is measuring with just a tub on a rolling chassis, which doesn’t compress the suspension properly. That leads to overestimating length and ordering a driveshaft that’s too long. Suspension lifts and transmission swaps are the two biggest factors that will change the driveline length—make sure your rig is complete before grabbing the tape measure.


  • Full-length splines: Provides double the spline contact surface for superior strength and longer lifespan

  • Forged slip yokes: Custom-forged and sealed with a solid plug to keep grease in and dirt out

  • Premium 1310 U-joints: Feature grease fittings in the cap for easier service and increased durability

  • High-strength DOM tubing: Domestically sourced and stronger than standard CREW tubing—better wall thickness with a smaller diameter for trail clearance

  • Top-tier CV components: Uses Spicer, Neapco, or equivalent CV joints for dependable articulation and strength

  • Includes greasing tool: Comes with a service tool for CV joint maintenance

  • Fully assembled and balanced: Ships ready to install with U-joints and CV joint already in place


Additional Info

  • Fitment: 1966-77 Ford Bronco

  • Available lengths: 33.5", 34.5", and 35.5" (measured center-to-center with vehicle level)

  • Custom lengths available: Contact us for special orders

  • Install Notes: For Broncos running Cleveland-style shafts, a Dana Spicer-style transfer case yoke is required (sold separately)


Made in the USA with full-length splines, DOM tubing and heavy-duty yokes, this high-clearance driveshaft is built for Early Bronco owners who demand the best.



66-77 Ford Bronco Driveshaft Identification:

From 1966-70, the Ford Bronco came with a Borg Warner driveshaft also known as Cleveland style driveline. From 1971-77, Ford switched to using Dana Spicer for their early Bronco drive shafts. Both styles of driveshaft used constant velocity joints. When identifying your early Bronco's drive line, it 's important not to just go by the year of the Bronco. Many Borg Warner Cleveland-style drivelines have already been upgraded to the Dana Spicer style due to availability the past few decades. The best way to tell which driveshaft you have is to see if your driveshaft uses external snap rings. If you can see the snap rings on the outside of the bearing cap, it's a Dana Spicer-style driveshaft.

Another way to tell the difference is to measure the bolt pattern on the transfer case yoke. All of our driveshafts are Spicer style and you will need a transfer case yoke if you are converting from the old Borg Warner.

 

How to measure your 1966-77 Ford Bronco Driveshaft

Wild Horses has driveshafts to fit your Bronco. While a stock length driveline will still work on Broncos with a minor suspension lift, this is not the ideal setup. Even with a small lift, the drive shaft is not long enough for a proper fit. We stock driveshafts to fit from stock height to 6 inch suspension lifts. When ordering a new drive line for your classic Ford Bronco, it is best to use the working measurement to ensure you get the right driveshaft. Also known as the running length, this is the measurement from the yoke on the transfer case to the yoke on the rear end. Measure from center of bearing cap to center of bearing cap with the suspension fully loaded to normal ride height.


Note: The working measurement is not the length of the driveshaft itself, but of the distance between the mounting yokes. The running length is taken with the Bronco sitting on level ground and loaded as normal. The rear drive line usually measures between 33.5 and 36 inches. The front driveshaft typically measures from 23 to 25 inches. If your measurement falls between one of the lengths we offer, we generally recommend you order the next larger size (e.g. Your measurement is 34" so you would order a 34 1/2" rather than a 33 1/2"). Also note that an incorrect pinion angle will affect the length of driveline you need for your Bronco. Make sure the angle is correct before you measure for a new shaft.

1966-77 Ford Bronco Driveshaft Maintenance

Lack of maintenance is the number one cause of driveshaft failure. Driveshafts should be greased regularly, including the CV joint & splines. Most shafts will have a total of 5 grease fittings, so make sure you get them all. The grease fittings could be male or female style on the three u-joints and you will find the female style on the CV. You will need to use a needle attachment on a standard grease gun.

A rebuild kit will not fix a driveshaft that has worn-out splines and slip yoke. Prior to rebuilding your early Bronco driveline, inspect these parts to ensure they are in good condition.

Review High Clearance HD Rear Driveshaft, 66-77 Ford Bronco - Made in USA

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Questions & Answers
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Dax
Reviewed 03/19/2020
Kinda like plug n' play but more like bolt up and start playing, These shafts are awesome, look tough and built tough ! Bought the front and rear drive shafts.

Kevin
Reviewed 05/05/2019
Ordered a custom length rear HD driveshaft and it fit perfectly! Process was seamless as most of my WH purchases. The only negative was the chrome paint and it seems to have been packaged still wet, not a huge deal overall.

Ivan wright
Reviewed 04/25/2019
This thing came in and fit perfectly, was tight and rock solid. I'm very impressed.

Daniel Rohrbaugh
Reviewed 01/08/2018
Once again awesome products from Wild Horses! I have always had great customer service and they deliver only the best parts! Thank you Wild Horses!

Ryan Boling
Reviewed 11/07/2017
Well built shaft! Looks and performs as promised. Package didn't fare to well during shipping and the grease zerts were knocked off 2 of the 3 cups. I had spares so no biggie to remove the broke ones and replace.

Steve Shull
Reviewed 08/26/2017
Tom Woods shaft comes with a great reputation. It is certainly much better than my worn out stocker, lol. Looking forward to putting it through hell.

Randy
Reviewed 08/14/2017
It came well packaged fit perfectly. No issues at all.

Tammy Ennis
Reviewed 04/18/2017
Looks great, haven't had a chance to go and test it out yet. Bring on May Long weekend!!!!!

Todd
Reviewed 01/20/2017
Looks good, would have liked the paint to stay on shaft instead of my hands.

Steve S
Reviewed 10/11/2016
Easy installation, far greater than the old stock version. Beat trying to restore the old driveshaft.

Crawlerm4car
Reviewed 07/11/2016
Very good shaft!!! Mutch better than the old worn out twisted one that I removed

Dclym
Reviewed 05/12/2016
This thing is beefy and built right. As always it showed up in time and in good shape.

Ffch
Reviewed 02/20/2016
It's was great as it always is

Cradd97
Reviewed 10/22/2015
Driveshaft was shipped well and didn't take long. Very well packaged and all around a better driveshaft.

bgduramax
Reviewed 08/09/2015
Very heavy duty. Anyone looking for a upgrade or replacement needs to get this. As always fast and friendly service.

Rybred
Reviewed 07/03/2015
awesome driveshaft-awesome customer support answering my questions prior to my order

Anthony Mailman
Reviewed 12/03/2014
Excellent fit.

rockcrawln71
Reviewed 05/02/2014
Nice that WH sells the best drive shafts, don't think i'll have to worry about breaking this one!

H Durham
Reviewed 04/01/2014
Came as advertised and exceeds expectations. Last driveshaft my Bronco will ever need.

rockcrawln71
Reviewed 06/03/2013
Perfect fit, good price, very happy

kb5ynf
Reviewed 04/21/2013
My stock driveshaft broke on me a few weeks ago. I ordered this one as a replacement after reading reviews on Classicbroncos. It was a perfect fit and so far has performed well. Shipping was quick and it was packaged very well.

s w
Reviewed 05/07/2011
Ordered item # 8581 33.5 drive shaft. Upon arrival I inspected the item and found a problem. After dialing Wild Horses they answered the phone promptly with a live person and directed my call to sales. They were familiar with the item, sent a replacement right then. I am very pleased with the quality of their product and service.

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