Yup, broke the axle, not the joint. Closer examination shows a crack that had been around for a while, as in it's rusted while the rest of the break isn't. looks like it was under the big rubber dampener?? as it's gone now. I'll post some pictures later. Can't tell you the origin of the shaft, I've had the car for quite a while, and there's about 4 more here I've been scavenging parts off for years. Tubing looks pretty light to me though..........