I need a different driveshaft

I have a correct length driveshaft already in my car but it was made up out of all junkyard parts with only new u-joints - and that does concern me. Which brings me to the point of "I need one with ALL new parts".

I've looked at a few fabricators, i.e. Denny's and Inland Empire, and would like to throw this out for discussion:

Not limited to the two above, who have you used and how was the service/price/final product quality - I want to use aluminum as well so I can polish it to match the suspension. I would like any web site addresses if possible.

Thanks all

I'm sure there are some other very good ones, but I have used Denny's and have been extremely pleased with them. If a driveshaft can be called pretty, theirs is. Comes all painted nice black, that has held up for years and years.

Even has a cool Dennys logo on it.:D :D :D :D


Don

I just bought a steel one from Inland. Denny's told me 3 weeks on delivery!

Project33.com has an aluminum one from Inland and it's gorgeous. Those two sources seemed to be the best ones that I could find.

Happy Hunting, Kitz

What, if anything, is wrong with the junkyard parts shaft?

I had a new one made up from new tubing - and the old yokes - and had it electronically balanced at a SoCal driveshaft/machine shop.

It ran very smooth.

Not too far down the road I pulled the overly high-geared 2.75 diff and installed a 3.70 which necessitated a new driveshaft 1" longer.
(Ford 9" diffs have different companion flange lengths depending on the vehicle they're used in.)

The local speed shop made up a driveshaft from junkyard parts - tubes and yokes, but new U-joints.
It is not balanced and runs as smooth as the original balanced shaft.

I was going to balance it, but like the speed shop owner said, "We make driveshafts for 160 mph doorslammers and have no problems with balance."

From what I see, the problem with some driveshafts is excessive runout, but looking from here it doesn't seem like you need a different driveshaft.

'Course, sometimes a person wants to start a project with all-new parts and there's nothing wrong with that.

Pays yer money and takes yer choice as the saying goes....

I just went to a local shop that makes them up. $125. I supplied the ends and U joints

are you concerned with the reliability of the shaft or its appearance? if it is reliability then the u joints are the only moving part on the shaft and they are new, unless you are pulling holeshots with a 500 hp motor everyday your current shaft is fine if it runs straight with no vibration issues. i had a built 383 vega with a rock crusher 4 speed, i side stepped the clutch a gazillion times with a stock shaft. i dont think i ever drove that car without pulling a holeshot! now if your after looks then go for aluminum, if steel is your replacement, you already have one of those. clean it up and paint it black.

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Originally Posted by C9x

What, if anything, is wrong with the junkyard parts shaft?

Pays yer money and takes yer choice as the saying goes....

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C9
I've aways run the "remanufactured" junkyard driveshafts with never ever a problem and have one in place now. My concerns are several fold. The first being that being a Ford powered car the fuel pickup in the '32 style gas tank is on the right hand side and the engine fuel pump is on the left. I have to cross over the drive shaft with my fuel line - tho protected with a loop and a bunch of steel, want to make it as safe as possible. And, no, I'm not going to use an electric fuel pump tho I do have a new Holley as surplus Secondly, with living here in the frozen tundra of the NE rust belt, my current drive shaft has some rust pits. Thirdly, the trans and diff yokes are an unknown quantity without expensive electronic testing - for instance have they been exposed to a nasty crash in their original vehicle that may have cause deformation or cracks. And last - the machine shop that did the existing driveshaft used the 'wrong' end of the junker I brought them - there is a fair size ding that was not evident until it came time to clean and paint several months later.:HMMM:

So with all that said, peace of mind comes at a $3 to $400 price tag:D .

Carbon fiber is a little pricey,but exsplodes into tooth picks if it breaks.Alu is a little more forgiving that steel and steel is the strogest ,but will wreak havoc when it breaks.Just what I have read and seen,others may have different take on it.

Like said........the "U" joints being the only movable parts...........I see no need to spend money where its not needed, unless the old one rusted out or got damaged in some way...............Of course, I am about as cheap as they come.

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Originally Posted by poncho62

Like said........the "U" joints being the only movable parts...........I see no need to spend money where its not needed, unless the old one rusted out or got damaged in some way...............Of course, I am about as cheap as they come.

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Poncho - U-joints are the least of my worries at 14 -18 USD each as is the shaft itself - what I don't have is any previous "history" for the trans or diff yokes - and with a fuel line and a brake line crossing above the driveshaft, though pretty well protected, needs to give me a good warm 'n' fuzzy. And I still may do some more on the loop !!

Didn't you get lost on this forum as well (as I did ) ???

WOW thats some nice neat work and alot of money ,I would not hesitate to get a new one made at a race shop just for the safety of my nice ride and peace of mind.If it did go ,not counting bodily harm ,it would wipe out close to a thousand dolloars in parts ,2 muffs and that polished stainless hard line and those anodized an fittings,not to mention all the other stuff it could grab along the way.On a project like that ,toss that old questionable driveshaft with the dent in the can! along with the yokes and u-joints.With a investment like that I would go custom carbon fiber,not only add value and look trick,but way way safer if it does pop and less likely to take the rest with it!!

The thing is.........if its gonna break, there is a 90% chance that it will be the joints that break, not the shaft.....but, if it makes you feel better.

I come here when I need a break from that other place...................

I did it !!!

I went with Denny's - a HD steel unit, solid u-joints, new trans yoke, with an internet $30 discount and $20 for shipping it was $266. Only downside was a 3 week delivery cycle - but since we have seen snow here.....

If their product is as good as their phone service - I'll be very happy.

All - Thanks for the comments

i am also on the budget builder, i see your concern. you could either install a 11 ga. plate across that cross member you have there to cover the fuel line, or run the line through a steel tube of some kind. even with a new shaft i would still put a protective barrier there. when ever you mess with a chance to burn up, its not worth the risk. i would run the plate or pipe also. my dad was burned from his waist down to his toes in a car fire, not a pretty sight, and months of severe pain.

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Originally Posted by mooneye777

i am also on the budget builder, i see your concern. you could either install a 11 ga. plate across that cross member you have there to cover the fuel line, or run the line through a steel tube of some kind. even with a new shaft i would still put a protective barrier there. when ever you mess with a chance to burn up, its not worth the risk. i would run the plate or pipe also. my dad was burned from his waist down to his toes in a car fire, not a pretty sight, and months of severe pain.

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Sorry I didn't respond earlier. :o
The fuel and brake lines are actually shielded on top by 3/16" plate and below by 1/4" plate. 3/4" x 1/8" wall square tubing is sandwiched between the two plates with the 2 lines running thru the opening between them. The rubber tubing - actually neoprene fuel line is wrapped around the SS lines for protection from chafing in case road vibes bounce the lines around. Also, you don't see is additional underside bracing on the forward crosspiece. The driveshaft loop itself is currently a specially made 9/16" spring u-bolt - then everything but the u-bolt was powdercoated.

The new Denney's driveshaft arrived yesterday afternoon and is now installed. It sure is purrty and shiny black compared to the clunk that was in there. It only took me 5 minutes to install and 30 minutes to mop up the ATF that got dumped on the floor - I forgot that I had (over)filled the trans and needed to dump out a quart. It's out now:o :CRY: !!! Oh well - needed something different to do anyhow:3dSMILE:

Cool on the new driveshaft.

Glad to see you got a steel one as well.

I was a bit ambivalent about the aluminum ones, but factory aluminum shafts seem to be doing well.

That said, I was in the local driveline shop last week to buy a crossover - GM to Ford in front - U-joint for my original 32 driveshaft which is getting cut down for the 31.

Anyhoo, lying on the floor was an aluminum driveshaft done by one of the big names in hot rod driveshafts.
The front yoke was ripped right out of the aluminum tubing.
Seems the weld didn't penetrate to the yoke like it should have.

Granted, a 600 HP drag race car, but a shaft advertised for drag racing should have held up better than that.

The owner is having the driveline shop make a new steel shaft.

Pretty is, isn't always pretty does....

Yeah, as I mentioned the shaft in my '27 came from Dennys, and it is still pretty after all these years of daily use. Even the Dennys sticker is still fine.:3dSMILE:

I may treat my T to one too, as it will be semi visible. We hot rodders are a strange breed...........we even see beauty in a driveshaft. :LOL: :LOL:


Don

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Originally Posted by C9x

... U-joint for my original 32 driveshaft which is getting cut down for the 31.

WHAT??? Getting a new one for the '32, or was this a spare (I now have a spare)

Granted, a 600 HP drag race car, but a shaft advertised for drag racing should have held up better than that.

While I don't have much more than 300HP, AL just doesn't make me comfortable - that and a $100 premium

The owner is having the driveline shop make a new steel shaft.

If a car really hooks up, the AL is not the shaft of choice - the tensile strength to cross section, even in 6061 is just not there - a carbon fiber piece might be a better choice, but a HD steel unit is still the best option

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Looks like I didn't make it as far as any paint beyond primer before the crap weather set in here in the Great Northeast and the body is on my side of the garage - my truck will catch hell:CRY:

"Originally Posted by C9x
... U-joint for my original 32 driveshaft which is getting cut down for the 31."

"Originally Postd by Irelands Child
WHAT??? Getting a new one for the '32, or was this a spare (I now have a spare)"

After a few months of running the overly high geared 2.73 diff - with 31" tall tires - which nets 100 mph @ 3000 rpm I stuck in a 3.70 diff.
Since I had to make up a new shaft for the 1" shorter companion flange I hung onto the old one in case I dropped in another diff with the longer companion flange.

The short flanges seem to be the most common so I'm probably ok with whatever diff eventually goes into the 32.
I need to gear it up maybe 10% since a lot of my driving now is on the long desert highway with their 75 mph speed limits in many cases.

To add to the confusion, the 32's wheelbase is 106".
Model A wheelbases are around 104".
The 31's 32 framed wheelbase came in at 105".

Interesting part is the 31's hood is 32 3/8".
Stock 31's are 31 5/8"
Stock 32's are 32".

All this mix and match stuff can be confusing sometimes, but it's just one of those bridges you cross when you get there.

There is an immutable Murphy's Law that says that no matter what you thought was going to be easy is fraught with roadblocks. Just try putting a Ford (or anything besides a Chevy) in a street rod and be prepared for challanges. :LOL:

I just took the short flange off the 3.70 gears that I had and with a new crush collar, put it on the 3.25's that I'm using - it needed a new seal anyhow(I always do this when the diffs are on the bench @~$10 and an hours work).
Used 9" gear sets are getting expensive - everyone seems to think they have a piece of gold - I saw an open "N" set with a $675 tag on it at Hershey a couple of years ago - probably more now, and you can build a brand new one for not a lot more.

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Originally Posted by Irelands child

There is an immutable Murphy's Law that says that no matter what you thought was going to be easy is fraught with roadblocks. Just try putting a Ford (or anything besides a Chevy) in a street rod and be prepared for challanges. :LOL:

Ain't that the truth....

I just took the short flange off the 3.70 gears that I had and with a new crush collar, put it on the 3.25's that I'm using - it needed a new seal anyhow(I always do this when the diffs are on the bench @~$10 and an hours work).
Used 9" gear sets are getting expensive - everyone seems to think they have a piece of gold - I saw an open "N" set with a $675 tag on it at Hershey a couple of years ago - probably more now, and you can build a brand new one for not a lot more.

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3.25 is the ratio I'm putting together for the 31. Got all the tools made and am just waiting for my inch-pounds torque wrench to arrive via the big brown truck. Funny part is, they're just a touch higher in overall gearing (tire diameter included in the figuring) than are the 3.70's.

I had no idea gear sets were so high in price. Guess I should probably peddle the 4.57 Detroit Locker I'm using to roll the car around with. I think it's a nodular as well, but need to look to make sure....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by C9x

3.25 is the ratio I'm putting together for the 31. Got all the tools made and am just waiting for my inch-pounds torque wrench to arrive via the big brown truck. Funny part is, they're just a touch higher in overall gearing (tire diameter included in the figuring) than are the 3.70's.

I had no idea gear sets were so high in price. Guess I should probably peddle the 4.57 Detroit Locker I'm using to roll the car around with. I think it's a nodular as well, but need to look to make sure....

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I ended up with taller tires then originally planned. With a 29.1" tire and 3.25 gears, works out to 66.6 mph @ 2500RPM which really isn't too bad. Rule of thumb tho is .12 x tire dia. would make it a 3.50 for an optimum gear.

Try posting the 4.57's in one of the for sale threads - someone will buy the diff, if for nothing else, the 'N' case and the locker - gear set are relatively inexpensive as are the bearings. This, with $3/gallon gas and fewer gas stations, is no longer an acceptable road gear:eek: