Triumph Repair: driveshaft rollers, engine crankshaft, driveshaft shop

Question
Hi Howard, good morning,
Yes, you are right. In this case the differential does not move. I have disassembled the driveshaft because I have changed the oil seal of differential but I had not idea about this rollers. I have looked attentively with a magnifying glass and in one of the faces of de "V" there are verticals signals until bottom and I think that this is because the rollers have to go inclined with the circular portion resting on the other face(seems strange but it must be so) I think that if have to go flat then has not signal into the "V". Are you agree? Now I have only one problem: I have 35 rollers, that is to say, 3 cuts with 9 rollers and 8 rollers for the other cut. It seems that the space is for 10 rollers in every cut. What does will be happen if missing rollers? where can I get the rollers?
I think that whoever designed this system had much work for little movement
Thank you very much for all the trouble you have taken for a beginner mechanic.
Regards from Catalonia (Spain),
Alfred

Answer
Hi Alfred, I never seen any of the parts suppliers list them. We have driveshaft shops here that can balance a driveshaft and that would be the only concern that I would have in not having an even amount in each cut. Keep in mind that the driveshaft turns at engine crankshaft speed in 4th gear. So if you are in 4th gear on the highway turning 4000 RPM, so is the driveshaft. Now you are faced with a problem, "Was the roller missing all the time and the shaft was balanced with it missing?" or "Did you loose one when you took it apart" (look down inside the tube) or if it was balanced with one missing, Which V had the missing roller?

If it were mine, I would just put it together with an even number of rollers in each V and find a local driveshaft shop and have the shaft balanced.

If you don't have any driveshaft shops in your area, just install the driveshaft and jack the rear up and put it on stands and remove both rear wheels and put the car in 4th gear and run the car up to a fast cruise and note if you feel any vibration in the body. The wheels must be off so as not to enter into the problem. To feel the difference between the engine and the drive train, run the engine up to the same cruise RPM when in neutral to note the difference between Engine and drive train. Put your jack stands out as close to the brake plates as possible so as to not get much angle to the axles because they have a Spicer type "U" joint and when that type of "U" joint is set at a angle it vibrates by design and you don't want "U" joint vibration to be confused as driveshaft vibration. Even though the driveshaft has Spice type "U" joints, they are not at much of a angle so thus don't vibrate much. (unless they are bad)
I know this is a lot to contend with but necessary for a happy ending.
Howard