80-Degree CV Driveshaft

The 80-degree CV unit comprises three basic parts that Jaynes assembles to create what you see here. We asked, but he wasn’t telling what they are made of or where he gets them. The U-joints are actually larger than 1410s and equate roughly to 11/2-ton pieces.

Because of the amount of angularity, there’s no effective way to seal the CV. The unit must be lubricated periodically to ensure the ball and sockets and disc don’t run dry. All welds are steel-on-steel and not steel-on-cast, which is weaker.

High-Angle built us an 80-degree–equipped shaft for a 17-inch-lifted 2000 Super Duty. We had doubts as to whether or not we’d need to notch or modify the crossmember, but the unit bolted right in without any clearance problems.

In order to save some coin we had Jaynes reuse the stock slip-yoke and pinion U-joint that’s good to about 15 degrees, but it bound when the suspension flexed. The dotted line indicates where we needed to grind the yoke to clear the U-joint straps. To avoid this, we could have rotated the pinion up or High-Angle has a 1410-equipped flange for the slip spline that’s good to about 35 degrees.

How often does something really cool come along in the world of driveshafts? Sure, we’ve seen shafts with CVs on both ends, shafts with tractor splines, and even shafts with square tubing (don’t ask), but we had never seen a driveshaft that can operate at up to 80 degrees until we hooked up with Jesse Jaynes at High-Angle Driveline in Paradise, California.

Most constant-velocity, or CV, joints use ½-ton 1310-sized U-joints and can operate at angles up to about 32 degrees. High-Angle Driveline uses U-joints that are larger than 1-ton—along with some top-secret components Jaynes wouldn’t let us in on—to produce a CV joint that can operate at angles of up to 80 degrees. However, the 80-degree shaft is not intended for use in full-time front or rear applications because there’s no effective way to seal the CV. It’s just able to obtain too much angularity.

If you’ve got major amounts of suspension lift, or have a super-long-travel front suspension, this may be the answer you’re looking for. Follow along as we show you some highlights and install an 80-degree CV-equipped shaft in a 2000 Super Duty with 17 inches of lift.