As title really I am about to stick my atlas axle on ebay. It needs a new bearing and wonderd if I would be aswell keeping the half shafts just incase ?

165 bhp zetec through a capri atlas axle.

cheers

i don't think its particularly easy. i think the half shafts were the same across the capri range, so should be good for the 3ltr capris (i think some 2.8s had a bigger diameter half shaft)

think you'll be fine with the zetec. think the gearbox will give up before the half shaft

Nah its a mt75

I will plop it on complete.

ah, cool. either way, i think they're pretty solid. i've got a pair of standard capri ones hanging about if you ever need them.

I've done it, I've done it!! (Took alot of torque, big tyres and quite a few goes before one gave in though!)

they can also bend when you hit something sideways

They fatigue at the end of splines due the combination of a sharp feature and load reversals, higher loads drastically reduce the number of load reversal cycles a shaft will take before it fails.

The one thing that also drastically reduce the life of a shaft is if some well intentioned idiot tack welds the bearing retainer ring on as this provides another stress raiser and hard spot that a fatigue crack can grow from.

[Edited on 26/7/09 by britishtrident]

Im glad I didn't put a few spots of weld on mine now!

(not that i have a chance of breaking one mind lol)

I picked up a really nice axle from ns dev, it had only done 55K with history. So I think I will risk it and get shot off the other.

Thanks all.

Yea you won't break a shaft on an atlas in a 7, they are too light.