aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
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Car: 90 z28
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aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
from a ls1 i just bought for 100 dollars or so... lasted like a month or so behind my 355. probably only 370 hp or so. i was at the atm, set the parking brake, forgot i left it in 1st, and let off the clutch... car lunged forward and this happened after. drive shaft fell out of the tranny. so this is at idle basically.
put the old stock steel one in to get it drivable, not too happy
put the old stock steel one in to get it drivable, not too happy
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Car: 1991 Camaro Z28
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Holy crap! Just letting the clutch out at idle did that?
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Car: 90 z28
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
yea, also bent my stock control arm on the driver side some, didn't think to take a pic.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Thats nuts i have seen these driveshafts on rediculous modded cars and they stand up.
you have a driveshaft loop rubbing by chance? I know the steel loops can sometimes do a number on aluminum driveshafts...
you have a driveshaft loop rubbing by chance? I know the steel loops can sometimes do a number on aluminum driveshafts...
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Dang, that sucks. be happy you didnt side step the clutch....
I ended up buying a new DL from shaftmasters, it comes with a new yoke a h/d u-joints.
here a ebay link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Camar...Q5fAccessories
I ended up buying a new DL from shaftmasters, it comes with a new yoke a h/d u-joints.
here a ebay link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Camar...Q5fAccessories
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Axle/Gears: 9" 3.50 gears and Detroit Locker
Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Did you get the driveshaft from someone you dont know? I'd almost have to think that that driveshaft had already started twisting before this happened.
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Car: 90 z28
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
got it on ebay
no driveshaft loop, wish i had one though
seemed nice before this
no driveshaft loop, wish i had one though
seemed nice before this
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Seeing how it is toast cut it in half and see how thich the wall of the shaft is. Was it "new" when you bought it?
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Car: 90 z28
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
this is what i bought, seemed perfect when i got it
ebay
Up for auction is a factory aluminum driveshaft for your 1982-2002 Camaro or Firebird. It was parted from a 2002 Pontiac Formula LS1. It will fit your manual or auto tranny with a 10 bolt rear end and stock yokes. No dents or dings. Nothing broken or cracked. The u-joints seem to be in real good shape. The only thing I can find wrong with it is it is dirty and will need some cleaning. If your shipping address in not in the lower 48 States, you MUST email me before bidding or your bid will be cancelled. Thanks for looking and have a good day!
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
I'd send him a pic. of the twisted driveshaft just for the heck of it. That is a scary situation. I saw on an episode of PINKS where a driveshaft came up through the floor. The driver was not injured, but just the thought of that happening.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Go to a real DS shop and get a quality steel or alum piece made for your car. You're obviously well above the thresh hold for stock parts
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
i would venture a guess that the control arms failed first, then the driveshaft bent then was destroyed because of the misalignment.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
dang, beat me to it...
thats absolutely what happened.
a control arm was bent and the rear end was not perpendicular to the driveshaft.
as a result the DS was being pulled at an angle.
you would be amazed at how much stress a small misalignment can cause on a rotating shaft...
and as twin_turbo said, all it would take is a slight dent, or deep scratch to severely weaken the driveshaft at any point.
thats absolutely what happened.
a control arm was bent and the rear end was not perpendicular to the driveshaft.
as a result the DS was being pulled at an angle.
you would be amazed at how much stress a small misalignment can cause on a rotating shaft...
and as twin_turbo said, all it would take is a slight dent, or deep scratch to severely weaken the driveshaft at any point.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Yeah make sure you have correct driveline angle. The angle could still be bad even if you replace the control Arm if it did cause it? Is this thing lowered? The pinion angle and driveshaft angle shouldn't be off more then 2* degrees or so, but double check those specs. If you lowered that thing and didn't check angles you can buy some mustered you'll need it, when you start twisting more pretzels. Or you’ll blow out ujoints quick. Good luck
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
How would misalignment affect a ds that bad?
The alignment changes (vertically) every time the rear end goes up or down, yet the ds don't fail. Why would left/right misalignment be so bad? I don't think it would. That is what the u-joints take care of.....misalignment, to a degree, as the suspension moves.
When I put my double adjustable LCAs on, I didn't get it right the first time. They weren't the same length, so my rear end was "crooked", but nothing happened. And I HAMMERED it. I guarantee you I was putting out more torque doing that, than he was at idle.
The alignment changes (vertically) every time the rear end goes up or down, yet the ds don't fail. Why would left/right misalignment be so bad? I don't think it would. That is what the u-joints take care of.....misalignment, to a degree, as the suspension moves.
When I put my double adjustable LCAs on, I didn't get it right the first time. They weren't the same length, so my rear end was "crooked", but nothing happened. And I HAMMERED it. I guarantee you I was putting out more torque doing that, than he was at idle.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
How would misalignment affect a ds that bad?
The alignment changes (vertically) every time the rear end goes up or down, yet the ds don't fail. Why would left/right misalignment be so bad? I don't think it would. That is what the u-joints take care of.....misalignment, to a degree, as the suspension moves.
When I put my double adjustable LCAs on, I didn't get it right the first time. They weren't the same length, so my rear end was "crooked", but nothing happened. And I HAMMERED it. I guarantee you I was putting out more torque doing that, than he was at idle.
The alignment changes (vertically) every time the rear end goes up or down, yet the ds don't fail. Why would left/right misalignment be so bad? I don't think it would. That is what the u-joints take care of.....misalignment, to a degree, as the suspension moves.
When I put my double adjustable LCAs on, I didn't get it right the first time. They weren't the same length, so my rear end was "crooked", but nothing happened. And I HAMMERED it. I guarantee you I was putting out more torque doing that, than he was at idle.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
i wasnt there, so i cant say for sure, but i would imagine that the DS was probably already severely damaged when he let off the clutch at idle. that last little bit was what killed it.
steel will take a lot of torsion and stress before anything bad happens.
thin walled aluminum, not so much.
just for comparison:
1/2" dia bar of cold rolled steel vs a 1/2" bar of aluminum
clamp one end of the bar stationary and the other end to a clamp that twists around
draw a straight line down the bar for reference and start twisting
the steel bar looked like a candy cane before it broke. it twisted 6.6 times around. thats 2,380 degrees of twist
the aluminum bar could only take around 60 degrees of twist before it broke
the point is that steel is very ductile, whereas aluminum will bend, some, but not much before it fails.
aluminum also has no real proportional limit, so the point of failure happens very abruptly.
steel will take a lot of torsion and stress before anything bad happens.
thin walled aluminum, not so much.
just for comparison:
1/2" dia bar of cold rolled steel vs a 1/2" bar of aluminum
clamp one end of the bar stationary and the other end to a clamp that twists around
draw a straight line down the bar for reference and start twisting
the steel bar looked like a candy cane before it broke. it twisted 6.6 times around. thats 2,380 degrees of twist
the aluminum bar could only take around 60 degrees of twist before it broke
the point is that steel is very ductile, whereas aluminum will bend, some, but not much before it fails.
aluminum also has no real proportional limit, so the point of failure happens very abruptly.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
Judging by his pic, I'd say his aluminum ds made is more than 60 degrees. I can twist an aluminum can more than 60 degrees & not have it rip/tear/break.
You can make such a broad state of steel > aluminum & expect it to be 100% true. There are way too many different grades of steel & aluminum.
You can make such a broad state of steel > aluminum & expect it to be 100% true. There are way too many different grades of steel & aluminum.
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
obviously. in his pic, the shaft experienced a ductile failure, ie. it bent.
with thin walled aluminum, this is usually what happens.
btw, i am talking about 60* of torsional displacement... candycane style
the comparison i made was to illustrate the huge difference in characteristics between steel and aluminum
and YES I CAN make a broad statement like that.
if you know anything about the material characteristics of steel vs aluminum, you know that the difference is HUGE
with thin walled aluminum, this is usually what happens.
btw, i am talking about 60* of torsional displacement... candycane style
the comparison i made was to illustrate the huge difference in characteristics between steel and aluminum
and YES I CAN make a broad statement like that.
if you know anything about the material characteristics of steel vs aluminum, you know that the difference is HUGE
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
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Re: aluminum driveshaft fail... pics
3rd gen and LT1 4th gens used the same aluminum DS
LS1 4th gens we a big bigger but the biggest advantage was the damper built into the yoke which canceled out the vast majority of the minor vibrations
All of them are roughly the same strength
LS1 4th gens we a big bigger but the biggest advantage was the damper built into the yoke which canceled out the vast majority of the minor vibrations
All of them are roughly the same strength
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