Types of CV joint – a very rough guide
Conventional
CV joint – as used on the outer joints of most modern fwd cars, accommodates
large angular variation but no plunge at all.
They usually have a short, splined output shaft with a threaded end to
pass through the wheel bearing and hub.
Tripod joint – often used as the inner joint on modern fwd cars. Accommodate angular variation (less than conventional CV) and quite large amounts of plunge (25 – 30mm). Have excellent low friction characteristics. Tend to come with a male spline on the inboard end (push directly into differential) and are quite long. This last point especially makes them unsuitable for this conversion – space is definitely a problem!
Lobro
joint – Used as inner joints on many fwd cars and at both ends of rwd Fords,
BMWs etc. Quite good angular variation and normally about 18 – 20mm plunge
capacity. They normally come drilled to
fit a 6 bolt circular flange at one end and have a female spline at the
other. They are available in 93, 100
and 108mm outside diameter (the bigger they are the greater their power/torque
capacity), come with a wide variety of spline types and, best of all, are very
compact, only about 25mm deep.