Bill:
Perhaps I'm using the wrong terminology, but job 41-100 on the 126 CD Rom shows what I'm talking about - there is a "U-joint", the permanent staked-in type, in the rear section of my driveshaft. It is just aft of the center support bearing, which is in turn just aft of the splines that slide into the forward section od the shaft. The lack of conventional circlip retention is what makes these U-joints a problem - shaft replacement is the high dollar conventional wisdom. That's what makes Portland's approach attractive to my thinking. The hard rubber flex discs on the ends of the driveshaft (bolt to the trans output and diff input) are OK. The car had a factory rebuilt tranny put in about 50K miles ago, and it looks like the flex discs were changed then. Hope we are on the same page now, and I appreciate the follow up. Big Mac