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Drive Shaft Shortening
ChrisJ15 - 20/5/12 at 02:13 PM

I need my (Fiesta) driveshafts shortened for my Sylva J15 build.
Does this have to be done by a specialist with balancing equipment etc. or is it within the scope of a skilled welder/machine shop?
I was thinking of chopping them and then having a sleeve welded over the top.

bi22le - 20/5/12 at 02:25 PM

I was always under the impression that they need to be balanced.

As far as I understand mine were cut to length, sleeved but the sleeves had holes in, then spot welded the holes up.

The spots just help take some of the torsion loads off of the sleeve welds.

I had a RAW modified one spin a weld with some " excited " starts I was doing. That had the shafts bored out and a solid insert put in and welded. The shafts therefore looked the sme outside dia.

HTH

Biz

liam.mccaffrey - 20/5/12 at 02:33 PM

there are loads of threads on this.

My personal advice is that cut and sleeve is fine for mockup (as I have done),
I have deen involved in a situation where one of these has failed and i wouldn't want to have it happen again so I am using my sleeved shafts as dummies for a specialist to make as one piecers.

For what its worth my mate didn't have them balanced and there was no dectable vibrations.






[Edited on 20/5/12 by liam.mccaffrey]

daniel mason - 20/5/12 at 02:40 PM

i had mine done by a specialist and they seem spot on!

ChrisJ15 - 10/9/12 at 06:39 AM

Thanks to all for the advice.

Looks like its a specialist then.

Can anyone name specialist companies they have used preferably with rough prices?

lsdweb - 10/9/12 at 07:19 AM

BAR Props in Neath (South Wales) - call Andrew - 01639 646922

I can't remember prices but he is always reasonable!

Regards

Wyn

james jones - 10/9/12 at 07:20 AM

hi a lot of the autograssers use the cut and sleeved method for racing and i haven't heard of any failingat the joints yet and they are usualy full throttle dump the clutch starts,but on dirt not tarmac but you can google berrisford they make shafts to your requirements, they have a drawing on there website for you to add your dimensions too i think the last time i looked was about £100.00 per shaft, they are listed as unbreakable. ijm

james jones - 10/9/12 at 07:22 AM

up date £160.00 per side
www.berrisford.co.uk or could try DRD racing

[Edited on 10/9/12 by james jones]