drive shaft protection?

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rollingthunder

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
85
I've seen in some pictures were guys with a channled body and the drive shaft is in the cab . they had some kinda black rubber looking matterial that was arround the length of the driveshaft. It was bolted down on the sides?..
 
If it is around a driveshaft it better be steel. It should also have a race style driveshaft hoop properly mounted. I think anyone who has seen a u-joint come apart at speed would agree, especially when it is right next to you...
 
I've had a driveshaft snap on me and the damage they can do is amazing. We had a 68 Mustang that I raced it had an all aluminum interior. I thought my two Sons, who were about 6 would enjoy going for a ride so I put them in the back and launched the car. It went about 10 feet and I heard this unGodly explosion and when we got stopped I saw a gash in the floor between where they were sitting. :eek: The driveshaft had snapped in half and the hoop contained it but the floor took a beating.

You do some dumb stuff when you are young and that was one of the dumbest. That became one of those "Don't tell Mom what happened" things. :eek: Every time I see a car where the driveshaft shares space with the driver I think of that time.

Don
 
If your gonna run a safety loop, 1" behind the cross to 10"s....anymore and the shaft can fold over and things can really get stupid!
1/8th" stop a spinning diveshaft? Ever seen the driveshaft spinning with 4.11's in the rear doing 60 MPH????? Once you see that, you'll appreciate the added safety thats driveshaft loops provide!
Anytime a full length shaft is in a car, I run 2 loops, (I believe in safety!) and if the floor is alum., I split a piece of 4" or 6" 3/16 structural tubing or pipe (schedule 40) and screw it to the bottom of the floorboard.
I've seen the crosses grenade leaving the line in a hot street/strip car and easily come thru the floorboard of the older cars with more metal down there.
Better to be safe than sorry!
[;):cool:
 
Agian, let me say this, 1 ounce of weight placed 2" off centerline spinning at 3000 rpm (thats a highway speed folks) (THIS APPLYS IF A DRIVESHAFT SHOULD SLING OFF ITS BALANCING WEIGHT!) is about 150- 200 pounds worth of vibration on that driveshaft!
That long, skinny tube is just only so strong.....
[;):cool:
 
What is 1" behind the cross to tens.. is that 1 inch behind the the front unjoint

1 inch behind the front universal joint.....the 6 inch is a general rule of thumb, but, since theres other stuff under these street cars, anywhere in that vacinity will do....
Main thing is to keep the front from dropping down, stabbing the road and catapulting the car/truck into the air.....and to keep it from coming up into the car with you....
[;):cool:
 
Ok thanks man! I was also going to make a little shield arouund the loops to cover the cups incase they fly out..do you think 1/8 inch is good enough for that?
 
tunnel

I built my floor structure from 1/8' 1" square tube, and in the driveshaft area, I built the structure to align with my u-joints, I then used 1/8" steel 3" wide strip to make my own driveshaft loops, all the way around the drive shaft, top and bottom, we bent the 3" wide around the hat of an old brake rotor, welded the top part to the square tube and bolted the bottom half to the top half. I bought the 3" wide stuff at lowes, a 3 foot piece was $18 just a small price for peace of mind.
 
One of the best and easiest ways to build a loop is to get a piece of structural tubing or pipe, 6" dia. or larger by about 4" long, weld on 2 large mounting ears to mount to the frame. Then, with a couple of pieces of 5/16 or 3/8's flatbar the same width as the piece of pipe, lay out your holes, then cut your bottom part of your pipe loop loose, and weld on you 5/16 or 3/8's flatbar so they line up on the outside. Then put your piece of pipe back up there where the flatbar is welded to the outside of where that pipe was cut off, mark the holes then drill them.
Then mount it up, and if you ever need to, you can unbolt the lower 1/2 of your loop if you need to, for driveshaft removial, etc....If you only drill 2 bolts to hold on the lower part of your loop on, go with 3/8's bolts with nyloc nuts so they can't vibrate loose or Crimp nuts. Those 2 won't vibrate loose.
:cool:.
 
I built my floor structure from 1/8' 1" square tube, and in the driveshaft area, I built the structure to align with my u-joints, I then used 1/8" steel 3" wide strip to make my own driveshaft loops, all the way around the drive shaft, top and bottom, we bent the 3" wide around the hat of an old brake rotor, welded the top part to the square tube and bolted the bottom half to the top half. I bought the 3" wide stuff at lowes, a 3 foot piece was $18 just a small price for peace of mind.

Thats a great idea, too....I've also done that....the main thing is, go with what you got but just build something to contain that driveshaft! It doesn't have to be expensive or really be complicated....just something to keep that driveshaft off your ass should things decide to get ugly!
[;):cool:
 

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