Converting to 1 piece tail shaft?

[balistic]

I stumbled across this webpage which explains how to convert from 2 piece to one piece tail shaft in an attempt to reduce weight and possibly some lost power. Has anyone tried this before?

http://www.my-acoustic.com/Car/weight_issu...eller_shaft.htm (http://www.my-acoustic.com/Car/weight_issues/lighten_propeller_shaft/lightening_propeller_shaft.htm)

[Hen is a total nutcase]

I run a single piece. Purely because I needed a custom tailshaft and I think single piece is simpler and easier to make. I've had no problems with it.

However I doubt it would be worth changing from a 2piece just to chase lower weight and power losses. You'd have to be pretty close to the pointy end for that to be worth it.

Those prices he gives are damn cheap, but then again, that's Malaysian labour costs for you.

Hen

[ajc_ae86]

There is nothing wrong with running a single piece tail shaft ive dont it b4 in a couple of my cars... there alot less hassel.

But if your going to get it done make sure it is balanced cause the vibrations will piss you off big time!

[20sil]

Yeah i got a one piece tailshaft. What is there to balance? I just slip into the hole in the gearbox and bolt it up and shes done.

[Zak]

You balance the actuall drive shaft with weights similar to balancing your wheels.

[Billzilla]

Here's mine

http://www.billzilla.org/ae86singletail.jpg

Seems pretty good so far.

[IanJ]

Bill that looks very nice. Did you do it using the same parts as mentioned in that link? Or is that a custom one?

[Billzilla]

Bill that looks very nice. Did you do it using the same parts as mentioned in that link? Or is that a custom one?[/b]


Completely custom.
That's my mates car in Kuala Lumpur, and I told him why the single-piece was vibrating. http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/wink.gif

[IanJ]

Bill can you tell us anymore about this? Did it just need balancing or was there some other issue?

Thanks,
Ian

[EVOSTi]

i also run a single piece in my sprinter with no troubles, it doesnt hurt to run a loop when you go single piece either.

i think a single piece is more at risk of vibration than a two piece. i know my dad said the constantly had problems with vibration in their rally sprinter in the 80's, it was constantly rebalanced by different people but it still had a vibration, they ended up going back to a two piece.

[Billzilla]

Bill can you tell us anymore about this? Did it just need balancing or was there some other issue?

Thanks,
Ian[/b]


Yeah it was easy - When they made the tailshaft they didn't line up the uni-joints and they have to be, or the ends of the tailshaft try to spin at slightly different speeds at various points of each revolution.

Lots of good footage on such things here -> http://cvcoupling.com