any truck owners?? lets see the dodge trucks..67 power wagon

Wow!! Those pieces look big enough to be carrier shims but if a shim or 2 came out you'd think it'd have excessive backlash and be noisy??? If I were you I'd take those pieces to the local Dodge dealer and show them to a mechanic to figure out what they are. IMO you have a ticking time bomb there. Also, by the look of the picture the differential is tilted up a lot in the front. That'll starve the front pinion bearing for oil. Probably since you have it jacked up so high you need to use some shims to get the driveshaft angle back where it needs to be. By the look it's a wonder it doesn't vibrate and eat U-joints for lunch. The incorrect driveshaft angle is possibly why you have broken parts.

I've had the truck for nearly 6 years and have towed a utility trailer with 2 ATV's and 2 dirt bikes quite a bit. Even drove from Ft Irwin, CA to Ft Hood and at that time I had 3 ATV's, 2 dirtbikes, and much more during our move. In the 6 years I have replaced one u-joint. The truck hasn't even been re-geared. It still has it's stock 3.50 gears even though it really needs 4.56 installed. I now no longer tow with her as I use my 2010 Ram for that. The 97 is mainly my daily driver around town and the occasional trip to nearby towns. There is no vibration or noise. Guess I've been lucky or the truck is just that sturdy, or both!