daft as this sounds, a prop manufacturer is your best bet for an offcut. Elsewhere you will have to buy a length, which will cost more than getting the prop maker to make your prop for you!
We now have all the parts required to make our prop shaft bar the main tube so I am looking for a length of mild steel tube 65-70mm ID 2-4mm wall. It
need to be seamless.
Any ideas would be wellcomed.
2 to 4mm wall is very thick for a prop!
daft as this sounds, a prop manufacturer is your best bet for an offcut. Elsewhere you will have to buy a length, which will cost more than getting
the prop maker to make your prop for you!
The current tube is 2mm so I guess that would be ideal.
I will keep hunting.
Prop shaft tube is not your normal mild steel CDS. It is made to very high standards of wall thickness uniformity and roundness. Dont use normal
CDS. As Nat says go to a prop manufacturer.
Liam
pop down scrap yard with a saw, cut the ends off, and pay for what you need - bit of steel tube you 'found in the yard' will come in cheaper
than a 'getting rare those' prop shaft 
I've got some props I can saw up if you're stuck to save postage.
Which side of Dorset are you?
not sure how much u need, but we use 2 1/2 inch (63.5) x 2mm steel tube at work to make ford one stop transit dropside gantry's. we have to cnc bend it so i am sure its seemless. if your only after a meter or 2 i may be able to 'find' some lying about. i will try and find the full spec of the tube in the morning.
Do not use CDS tube for your prop, you will pull your hair out trying to get it balanced.
The problem with CDS is the inconsistent wall thickness.
You need DOM, which is a welded tube that is then drawn. You can not see the seam (unless you know where to look) in the finshed tube.
Otherwise a lot of props are made from ERW, but DOM is better.
How do I know, I built 1,000s of props some time ago.
John
Go down to your local motor factors and get a length of exhaust pipe. I've made propshafts for off road specials with V8's in them with no probs so far (3 years so far). My zzr 1100 is currently joined to the axle with 2" exhaust tube.
Exhaust tube is ERW, lots of the props I made used ERW, so exhaust tube is a reasonable suggestion.
John
quote:
Originally posted by Kissy
pop down scrap yard with a saw, cut the ends off, and pay for what you need - bit of steel tube you 'found in the yard' will come in cheaper than a 'getting rare those' prop shaft
I've got some props I can saw up if you're stuck to save postage.
Which side of Dorset are you?
Right a lot to take in here.
2 1/2 " would be ok as we can turn down the big end. If you could look up the spec on the tube you use this would be ideal as we need lest than
2m.
I am down near poole or at least the car is.
CUtting some tube out of an old prop is a good idea so I will also look into this.
Thanks
right this is the spec off our computer system.
TUBE TO BS6323 PT5 ERW I KM 63.5 O/D
2.03WALLX4303
sorry i dont know if its CDS or DOM. can anyone confirm this?
A skip lorry doesn't have a prop that big . The Sierra prop I cut down was seamed tube 50mm o.d. and I found some 50mm i.d. exhaust tube
locally for about £7. It was a tight fit so there was no alignment problem and it's run for a few years now.
quote:
Originally posted by Moorron
right this is the spec off our computer system.
TUBE TO BS6323 PT5 ERW I KM 63.5 O/D
2.03WALLX4303
sorry i dont know if its CDS or DOM. can anyone confirm this?
Should be OK for a prop. I have had a chat with my partner in crime and he thinks we will need less than 1m but I will messure and get back to you.
Also what does CDS and DOM stand for
[Edited on 5/4/06 by rusty]
Cold Drawn Seamless
Drawn Over Mandrel
ok mate, get back and i will have a look for u.