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DRIVESHAFT
General Information
There were only two driveshafts available for the 71 429 CJ/SCJ Mustang. One for the C6 Automatic and one for the 4 speed Top Loader. The 71 429 CJ Cougar used only one drive shaft. This info is summarized in the chart below;
Driveshaft Chart
| Application | Engine | Transmission | Length | U Joint Span | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 Mustang |
429 CJ/SCJ |
C6 Auto |
47 7/32″ |
3 5/8″ |
3 1/2″ |
| 71 Mustang |
429 CJ/SCJ |
4 Speed Toploader |
50 21/32″ |
3 5/8″ |
3 “ |
| 71 Cougar |
429 CJ |
C6 Auto |
50 13/32″ |
3 5/8″ |
3 1/2″ |
7
Driveshafts
These photos show a side by side comparison of the 429 CJ/SCJ Mustang 4 Speed -vs- the C6 driveshaft. The 4 speed driveshaft (shown at top in all 4 photos) is a constant diameter while the C6 driveshaft tapers from 3.5″ to 3.0″ on each end.
Driveshaft Paint Stripes
Based on information we have obtained from original driveshafts, we believe the 429 CJ/SCJ/C6 Mustang driveshaft should have 3 paint ID stripes; Lavender/Yellow/Orange. The 429 CJ/SCJ 4 speed Mustang driveshaft should have 3 paint ID stripes; Lavender/Orange/Reddish Orange. The 429 CJ/C6 Cougar should should have 3 paint ID stripes; Lavender/Argent/Yellow. In general, the ID stripes were painted in the center area of the shaft. Also, note that the original shafts were natural metal, so a natural metal paint can be used to simulate this look but prevent rust on your restored driveshaft.
Research on Driveshaft Paint Stripes
| Vehicle |
Stripe Colors found on Original Driveshaft Samples |
Paint Codes from Buildsheet |
|---|---|---|
|
429 Mustang CJ/SCJ with C6 |
Lavender/Yellow/Orange |
LA/T/DG
|
|
429 Mustang CJ/SCJ with 4 Speed |
Lavender/Orange/Reddish-Orange |
LA/T/W
|
|
429 Cougar CJ with C6 |
Lavender/Argent/Yellow |
LA/Y/Y7
|
As can be seen from the table above, if we make reasonable assumptions about the meaning of the paint codes from the buildsheets, we get the following;
LA – Lavender
T – Tan
DG – Dark Green
W – White
Unfortunately, other than LA = Lavender, which matches nicely, we do not show good agreement between the buildsheet color codes and the colors found on our original driveshaft samples. This non-agreement is currently a mystery. We recommend going with your original colors if they are still visible. If not, we have provided diagrams below showing the results of our research on original driveshaft color stripes.
71 429 CJ/SCJ Mustang 4 Speed Driveshaft Paint ID Colors and Locations
1971 Boss 351 Mustang (4 speed only) Driveshaft
Below is an original 71 Boss 351 drive shaft on which the 3 paint ID stripes were still visible. Yeah – I know this is a 429 Mustang site but since we came across this nice original sample, we are showing it for our Boss 351 friends. Also, since the Boss 351 driveshaft is the same length as the 429 CJ 4 speed driveshaft, it’s seems like a reasonable bet that the location of the paint stripes will be the same. Locations of the stripes are given from the front of the driveshaft as shown here:
Each stripe is approximately 3/4″ wide. Details are shown below;
This photo shows the three stripes on the Boss driveshaft – yellow, red and pink.
Red Stripe – located 29 – 29 3/4″ from front of drive shaft.
Yellow Stripe – located 25 1/4″ – 26″ from front of drive shaft.
Pink Stripe – located 31 1/4″ – 32″ from front of drive shaft.
Yokes
Both 429 driveshafts use the C7SW-4841-A slip yoke. NOS at left, factory original 71 429 Mustang at right. Note orange paint coding on original.
