DRIVESHAFT: linking mazda & toyota

I have a 1987 Mazda B2000 which has a 2 piece driveshaft. and I just bought a 1982 toyota pickup rearend and driveshaft.
My first question is how do i disconnect the 2 piece mazda driveshaft in the middle? I just looked at it cause it meets at the end of the cab but didn't see how the joints come apart.

My second questions is what's the best way to find out the length of the driveshaft to tell the driveline shop when i have them cut the ends off and make me a new one?

the thing to do is take it down to the driveline shop and have them deal with it. take them the whole thing, so it can be balanced as a whole unit when its done. a couple months ago i did the same thing except with a 69 yota rear end.
i actually had a slip yolk installed because as u should know, when your suspension cycles the driveline moves in and out. i did that to save my carrierbearing.
the 69 yota pinion flange is in a similar location to the mazda. so i told the dude at the driveline shop to put the slip yolk at half travel at the same length the stock driveshaft was.
i also had to make a template of the pinion flange so they could either find one, or make one to match.

what he said^^^^

Unbolt the carrier bearing, unbolt the driveshaft from the rear end, and pull it out of the tranny. Make a paper template of the toyota flange. Take all that down to the drive shaft with you overall length measurement, and fork over $100.

oh and i had another quick question,
i'm baggin' my truck (bag over axle) sometime this next month, and i was wondering if i needed the driveshaft installed or can i do all the welding and triangulated 4 link without it. so that way when all my suspension is welded in I can just take the measurements then? is that the way i should do it?

Do you 4-link first. Then take your overall measurement to the driveshaft shop. I would center your wheel in the wheel well, then make the driveshaft fit, rather than make the driveshaft fit and have the wheel offset in the wheel well because the driveshaft is shorter or longer. I had to shorten mine, and I don't think I have ever heard of anyone having to make it longer.

oh also the guy that's helping me do it said: "now the major question is, did you measure the center of the rear end from something? if not you will definately need to get that info from someone."

how do i find the center of the rearend?

Who has a measurement on the center of the rearend, I thought about that I could just square the rearend myself. like put the bed on the truck and make my own measurements and center the rear axle in the wheelwell with the wheels bolted up? then just make minor adjustments with the 4 link.

doing that takes a lot more work and it's very crucial that I find out exactly where it needs to be.
HELP!

center of the yota axle that your swappin in? and center of the axle between the frame rails, or centered in the wheel well...

take some straight bar or tube, hold it on the face of the brake drum / rotor on each end, pull a measure ment from the surface of the bar or tube to the center of the axle housing, this is the measurement that you will want to be centered between the frame rails....note do not measure to the center of the pinion, it can be offset like the mazda's to one side, and if you try to center the axle to that measurement, it will be further to one side in the frame rail than the other....

letme see if I can find that video from the trucking show.....it is very informative...

here ya go dude



check out project body bag part 1 & 2, good info on how to bag
your truck...

one-mo-gain

like speedster said, you need to have the driveline balanced as a unit....this means installed on the truck, otherwise you'll prolly end up with a nice vibration, which will
cause unnecessary wear & or breakage of stuff (tranny, rear axle, maybe even engine componets) so install the rear in the truck with the 4-link & bags, carry the whole truck
with the oem drive shafts to a shop & let them size & balance it...