i tried a search... but nobody seems to make much of a deal about this.

how important is it to have the yoke straight on the shaft? my neighbor says that if it's not perfectly straight it's going to eat up pinion bearings.

basically what i'm asking is, can i weld on the yoke by eye?

i don't plan to drive on the street...

your neighbor is right. it needs to be pretty damn straight.

that being said. i've always just eyeballed em, never lost a bearing yet.

The farther off it is the more the shaft is gonna wobble like shit. I would get it damn near perfect as possible...

your neighbor is right. it needs to be pretty damn straight.

that being said. i've always just eyeballed em, never lost a bearing yet.

Yep, I've built a few and always lined them up by eye and never had a problem with bearings.

So i guess the general consensus is you can do it by eye, just be very careful?

yup.

i wouldnt do it without trying my best to measure though!

Sceep built mine -- Eyeballed and tested at 40mph with no vibes.