Steel grade for driveshafts?

[Paulbarrett]

Im thinking about bits for my ongoing manta v8 build and my thoughts have gone to grade of steel for the shafts i will need maching, the current ones i lanned to shorten but with shoulders on them etc it is not possible, cut and shut is not an option when im eventually aiming for over 450bhp 600nm torque etc.

I have the equipment to machine them but then they will need hardening which would be my next quandry

 

[johnik]

Would it not be easier and safer to go to a co that makes custom shafts ?.

 

[Paulbarrett]

Wheres the fun in that, in any case having some opinionsonwhaf gradeto. Usebefore i. Approach would be handy

 

[BrokenBiker]

I'm not into driveshaft properties but i would have thought you would want toughened steel rather than hardened...

Hardened steel tend to be brittle and may shear with a twisting force...

as i said though im not into this sort of thing, im sure others on here are though

 

[123hotchef]

if u are making your own why not use ali?

 

[ronan]

En24t ?

 

[123hotchef]

En24t ?

or CrMo

 

[brightspark]

id rather have custom made ones with guarantee rather than make them ive had a shaft rip the splines out and wreck an expensive limited slip diff

 

[GW8IZR]

You might find this site useful: http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/halfshafts.html

Ian is very approachable and has advised me well in the past

HTH

 

[ibrooks]

These guys made a set for me to connect a Micra gearbox to Mini hubs.

http://www.broadoakgears.com/

I lopped the old driveshafts in half, shoved the ends I needed into their respective holes and joined them with some plastic conduit and jubilee clips. That let me sort lengths whilst I moved the suspension through it's full range (springs and bump/rebound rubbers removed). Then I rocked up at their door with the two ends as examples and the required lengths. Couple of days later I get the phonecall and they were ready.

Iain

 

[Paulbarrett]

Thanks ibrooks, were they reasonable cost?

 

[ibrooks]

A little over three hundred quid for the pair.

They've got the correct splines at each end, grooves for a square-section circlip and a spring clip at the Mini end plus a groove for a spring clip and a tapered shoulder for the spider from the Micra pot-joint at the other end. Then case hardened like the old ones. I'm much more confident in them than some sort of cut'n'shut that a lot of people doing the conversion use - especially since in my application it's rear-wheel drive and won't spin the wheels as easily so they have to handle far more torque when I give it beans than they would in a Mini.

North-west propshafts have the gear to friction weld them but wouldn't because the original shafts were different diameters and case-hardened. They did quote four hundred quid each for making new shafts as apparently that's what they charge for Formula Ford ones. I'm not so sure that price wasn't just a "we're not interested - go away" price.

There are a good few people who have asked for contact info and said they will go to them since for similar stuff. No idea if they have gone through with it but I haven't heard any complaints.

Iain

 

[Kent]

That company could come in handy to me at present - thanks