I'm running 1/4" wall 2.5" pipe for the rear shaft on my pickup and 2.5x2.5 1/4 wall sleeved into 2x2 1/4 wall for the front. I have literally walked the truck sideways on the driveshafts with nothing more than scrapes in the paint
re-tubing rear drive shaft
- Thread starter landtank
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I'm running 1/4" wall 2.5" pipe for the rear shaft on my pickup and 2.5x2.5 1/4 wall sleeved into 2x2 1/4 wall for the front. I have literally walked the truck sideways on the driveshafts with nothing more than scrapes in the paint
- Thread starter
- #22
Well, I don't have a lot of time to spend on this and sourcing the tubing I'm looking for isn't going to be an easy task so it's getting re-tubed with the same tubing as stock.
As for Slee's option, I'm not about to buy another drive shaft from him. I chased my ass on two of his front ones enough not to even consider a rear.
As for Slee's option, I'm not about to buy another drive shaft from him. I chased my ass on two of his front ones enough not to even consider a rear.
Why don't you have the driveshaft shop turn down the flanges and then use .120 wall tube?
As for your first shafts, bought in 05, failed in 07 as I can recall due to lack of lubrication. We fixed it at cost and then I am not sure what the issue was with the one you got back. Yes, we had issues, but we have stood behind every shaft we ever sold, except if it is customer neglect, which I am not saying was what happened with yours.
All that said, if you have a good local shop it is always better to deal with them re: drive shafts etc. If you have issues you can walk straight in and address it. Problem is most people do not have that.
As for your first shafts, bought in 05, failed in 07 as I can recall due to lack of lubrication. We fixed it at cost and then I am not sure what the issue was with the one you got back. Yes, we had issues, but we have stood behind every shaft we ever sold, except if it is customer neglect, which I am not saying was what happened with yours.
All that said, if you have a good local shop it is always better to deal with them re: drive shafts etc. If you have issues you can walk straight in and address it. Problem is most people do not have that.
- Thread starter
- #24
I'll talk with the shop later about turning the flanges. These guys have made a bunch of front DC shafts for me out of Taco units and they have worked flawlessly. This job is something they just aren't accustomed to doing so I need to educate them a little.
Christo, try as I might I couldn't grease the first one properly and the second one vibrated tremendously right out of the box. You didn't hear about it as I decided to move on to a better source. Customer service can only carry a product so far, then it has to stand on it's own. For me I won't consider another one.
Christo, try as I might I couldn't grease the first one properly and the second one vibrated tremendously right out of the box. You didn't hear about it as I decided to move on to a better source. Customer service can only carry a product so far, then it has to stand on it's own. For me I won't consider another one.
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I have broken or seen tons of stuff broken, birfs, diffs, axles, etc and never seen a drive shaft tube “fuse” to save them. All of the drive shafts that I have seen broken off road were from rock, ground contact. The stock tube in mine measured ~.060” literally muffler tube. It’s strength comes from it’s shape, round tube. The stock tube isn’t strong enough to withstand even minor contact, it’s easy to dent, candy cane it without even knowing it from the driver seat. Once it’s candy caned it’s structure is severely weakened, the dented spot gives it a place to fold.
Anyone that says that a drive shaft is a good fuse has never seen one come apart! The torque needed to twist even a dented one in half isn’t trivial, have never seen it happen on a parked rig, always associated with big throttle input. When it breaks the torque isn’t stopped, most times turned into high rpm shaft spinning. If it stays attached the spinning/flailing shaft usually beats the snot out of everything in range under the rig. Of it comes unattached, most of the time at the slip spline, I have seen them ejected out from under the rig, spinning, moving at a high rate of speed, not something that I would want to be hit by! This is why most all competition rules require drive shaft hoops, guards to keep them in place in case of failure.
Anyone that says that a drive shaft is a good fuse has never seen one come apart! The torque needed to twist even a dented one in half isn’t trivial, have never seen it happen on a parked rig, always associated with big throttle input. When it breaks the torque isn’t stopped, most times turned into high rpm shaft spinning. If it stays attached the spinning/flailing shaft usually beats the snot out of everything in range under the rig. Of it comes unattached, most of the time at the slip spline, I have seen them ejected out from under the rig, spinning, moving at a high rate of speed, not something that I would want to be hit by! This is why most all competition rules require drive shaft hoops, guards to keep them in place in case of failure.
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I guess we are luckier than most, there is a relatively large percentage of wheelers here, so the shop that I use knows what needs to be done and they know Toyotas. They recommend .120” wall DOM for street rigs and IIRC 2.5” schedule 40 poop pipe for the trailer rigs. I have had a bunch of .120” shafts done and they do a great job of making them straight and balanced. They won't take a full rock slam, but take a huge beating when compared to the stocker and still run nice and smooth on the highway.
Just about all Arizona wheeling is about rock, the state is made out of the stuff! Most isn’t a big issue, small stuff i.e. sand, big round stuff, it’s the bigger square stuff that requires care. This trail is known as the shaft (and a lot of other things) eater. One of the keys to getting through without damage is spotter placement, most of the time along side of the rig telling the driver where/what he’s going to hit.
Just about all Arizona wheeling is about rock, the state is made out of the stuff! Most isn’t a big issue, small stuff i.e. sand, big round stuff, it’s the bigger square stuff that requires care. This trail is known as the shaft (and a lot of other things) eater. One of the keys to getting through without damage is spotter placement, most of the time along side of the rig telling the driver where/what he’s going to hit.
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- #27
Well, ended up going with the stock tubing. It was a case of not knowing where to find the heavier stuff or even what to ask for. When I have more time I might see what I can dig up for the next retubing.
Rick,
Try Tube Service here in Phoenix. They can get you pretty much anything. The run that Kevin mentioned above is exactly where I dented my rear shaft. When I got back home, I purchased some .188 wall DOM and had it machined to accept the 80's stubs. While a larger diameter/thicker wall shaft is more difficult to balance, it can be done. Personally, I don't want it balanced by a machine. I prefer to send my shafts to a guy that does it the old fashioned way, by using only heat to first straighten the shaft and then balance it by eliminating high/low spots, again, with heat and water.
Try Tube Service here in Phoenix. They can get you pretty much anything. The run that Kevin mentioned above is exactly where I dented my rear shaft. When I got back home, I purchased some .188 wall DOM and had it machined to accept the 80's stubs. While a larger diameter/thicker wall shaft is more difficult to balance, it can be done. Personally, I don't want it balanced by a machine. I prefer to send my shafts to a guy that does it the old fashioned way, by using only heat to first straighten the shaft and then balance it by eliminating high/low spots, again, with heat and water.
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If your not worried about balance, just make it from poop pipe? Just need a die grinder to trim the inner seam and it fits. That stuff takes a big time beating.
That is what I should have done. Ended up finding tube (i.d. 2.48") and Boots4 helped me build the shaft... However, I suck at measuring and it's too long. Looks like I get to build another one. As for balance, I don't notice anything at all... But that may be because of my unbalanced 37" bias Iroks.
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I have made a couple that ran smooth and a couple that started talking at ~45 mph. If you have some old flanges, pinion, bearings, etc, it pretty easy to cobble together a jig to spin the shaft. Using that and some quality hammer time, they can be made pretty straight.
Like this;
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