I admit, it would have probably been easier to cut the steel plate for the U-joint to size and weld it together.  But then I wouldn't have had the chance to flail around with an oxy-acetylene torch that sounded like a jet taking off, and a spanner the size of my arm.  :D  Once the brackets had been bent to shape, I machined 4 brass spacers on the large (and slightly menacing) eastern bloc lathe.  Once I'd finished battling it's intrinsic design flaws, I considered delicately assembling the U-joint.  I then remembered that I had a physics paper to do for tomorrow, so I hit the pins repeatedly with a hammer until they went in.  Job done.