Hi All

Can anyone recommend a manufacturer of bespoke prop shafts. I have to connect a Rover SD1 box to a Sierra diff

Thanks in anticipation

These are supposed to be excellent.

Go ON, MaKe My DaY

I've been chatting to bailey morris. Seem to know there stuff and give competetive quotes.

Liam

there is also a place in Dartford, in Kent.

cant remember the name, something like J W Engineering. search for Propshaft + kent in google and they should be near the top.

search for 'propshaft supplier' on here, you will find several thread that list many suppliers and prices - pick the best!

Spooky...
I just ordered the propshaft for my Rover V8 to Sierra today from a company called Autoprop UK.

My propshaft needs will be 715mm long and I have been quoted £125+vat (inc delivery) for a brand new propshaft with a 3" main shaft and a splined assembly in the middle designed to allow some movement due to engine and gearbox mount flex. It is also rated at 400+ BHP. I have heard nothing but good things about Autoprop.

You can find details at www.autopropuk.co.uk


HTH,
Craig.

you managed to get hold of him?

we have been trying to get him on the phone for weeks now with no answer no matter what time we rang.

Got mine from Autoprop aswell.

Great service. Arrived on time.

Cheers,
James

There is a prop specialist in Team Valley, Gateshead (cant remember name!).
IMS in Birmingham are very good.

Hello,

I just ordered mine from autoprop this morning - 120 quid delivered.

If all goes well i'll be a happy chap come next week

Had an Autoprop in mine for about a year.

Not been out on the road yet! but it has managed to get me in and out of the garage so far

Service was superb.

ATB

Simon

I use Premier Propshafts in Hartshill near Nuneaton, good service, decent prices and local to me, so no carriage to pay and I see their handiwork at their premises!

[Edited on 1/4/05 by NS Dev]

Another happy Autoprop customer...

[Edited on 1/4/05 by Stu16v]

Stu,
Reading that thread is a bit of a worry but it is very much only one side of the story. I would like to have heard the other side or seen some pictures or ideally an engineers report. There is nothing to say whether the shaft was being used correctly or had been fitted correctly etc.

I would have thought that if Autoprop have any major problems with manufacturing propshafts then they would not be in business today...

Cheers,
Craig.

The linked story on Blatchat was from 2003 - I spoke to the guy at Autoprop a month or two ago so presumably he is still in business...

Well I received my propshaft from Autoprop yesterday and I must say I am well impressed. When I ordered it I was given the choice of tube size for the body of the shaft. I chose 3" from a choice of 2", 3" or 4" as recommended by Mike Barrett of Autoprop.

I have had a good look at the welding on the shaft and it must have been done mechanically because it is almost too perfect. I think the shaft is rotated in a sort of lathe while the welding torch (Mig I presume) is held steady at the weld site. The weld doesn't appear to have been dressed as you can still see the faintest sign of weld pool patterns, but it is beautifully done and looks very strong.

I was also impressed with the splined section which is designed to allow a certain amount of extension and retraction, even on cars with a fixed diff due to rubber mount movement. There is 50mm of movement on my propshaft (+/- 25mm if you prefer) which seems very generous for a car with a fixed diff but I'm sure it is even more useful on a live axle car. The universal joints are all fitted with grease nipples and are rebuildable which is good too.

Delivery was on time and the whole process was hassle free from start to finish. The only problem I have now is the fact that I'll need to remove my diff in order to get the propshaft into position...damn it!!

Highly recommended!
Cheers,
Craig.

[Edited on 5/4/2005 by craig1410]

Craig,

Get it in quick - then you can have a little drive

ATB

Simon

Simon,
Yes my thoughts entirely!!
I need to rebuild my driveshafts with new gaitors beforehand which I will do while the diff is out and I need to get some new bolts for the Lobro's but I should be able to do most of that this weekend.

Exciting stuff!!!!
Craig.

Craig,

While your getting new lobro bolts, assuming they're coming from a ford shop, get yourself some new prop to diff bolts at the same time.

Just a thought that might save you a return trip

ATB

Simon

For god's sake don't get the bolts from Ford unless you want another mortgage and then the same trouble getting them out again!!!

Just get M8 x 50 capheads (12.9 grade, allen socket head) from any bolt stockist!

Thanks for the advice guys, I already have a set of Ford bolts which were recovered successfully from the donor (not by me I might add). I'll use these initially just to get it rolling and then I'll get some 12.9Grade capheads as recommended above and on another thread I read recently.

As for the diff bolts, I also have the ones which came with the donor bits but they seem to be very long, too long I think. It's as if they were designed for a very thick propshaft flange (ie. about 1" thick!) Does anyone know the thread and size of bolt/set screw required for a more "normal" thickness flange (eg. Around 8mm thick)?

Cheers,
Craig.