|
|
02-18-2010, 11:37 AM
|
#1
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Aluminum Drive Shaft ready to install.
Just waiting for a little warmer weather to install it. Its from a 2000 T/A w/about 70K miles on it. Came with two new GM universal joints which have been installed. Man, that plastic the factory uses to hold the original U joints is a pain to deal with.
After the new joints went in, the shaft was cleaned up, as there was some under coat overspray on one side, and a few scratches. Wet sanded the shaft with 400 grit, then polished with a power buffer and some polishing compound until it had a nice satin finish. Left the aluminum end castings alone, just cleaned off dirt/oil/undercoat. Hey, its just going under the car, why spend the time to make a mirror finish?
Made sure I didn't polish off any paint marks or the original UAW sticker w/part number (12564003). Also used 400 grit and machine oil to remove rust on the trans yoke spline shaft where it was exposed outside the tail shaft seal. Just wanted to be sure any residual rust would not damage the tail shaft seal. Also put the yoke on the wire wheel to remove rust, then gave it a a couple coats of black rustolium.
So here it is, ready to install. Not bad for $75 and an evenings work, huh?
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 12:10 PM
|
#2
|
Mongo the Meet Coordinator
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 16,900
|
Mark, you never cease to amaze me.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by KirkEvil
repo bigals turd gen and part it out to a loving home
|
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 01:05 PM
|
#3
|
Meet Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: brick/pt. pleasant beach
Posts: 19,341
|
shiny
i use an oxy acetylene torch to heat the plastic up. it pops like a zit.
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 02:30 PM
|
#4
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Galloway, NJ
Posts: 3,964
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider
i use an oxy acetylene torch to heat the plastic up. it pops like a zit.
|
__________________
1996 Camaro C/S - 2/3 Corvette Engine
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28
Uh yeah, after they surprized buttsecks us at Pearl Harbor?
|
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 03:49 PM
|
#5
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Yeah, the nylon even pops using propane torch. Kind of weird the way it suddenly snakes out the injection holes.
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 05:50 PM
|
#6
|
10 Second Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Eatontown
Posts: 1,647
|
What did you have, the two piece driveshaft? And oh yeah...
__________________
1999 C5 FRC: 12.7@114
2008 TBSS: 12.48@108
2017 Silverado 2500 do you even lift breh?
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 05:57 PM
|
#7
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: manchester, NJ
Posts: 1,775
|
^^^^^hahahahah
__________________
97 Firebird Formula - 383LT1
15 Subaru WRX - 2.0L-turbo
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 06:46 PM
|
#8
|
Join Date: May 2009
Location: branchvlle
Posts: 364
|
boy thats one nice driveshaft!!! my Bird is quite jelous!!haha
__________________
1994 Chevy camaro
Formerly known as red99bird
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 06:55 PM
|
#9
|
Admin.
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Hamilton, NJ
Posts: 20,151
|
Lookks real good. Mark, you ought to hang with pampered_z, he likes to polish everything aluminum he sees!
__________________
Vent Windows Forever!
The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand. Or so I have read.
Feather-light suspension, Konis just couldn't hold. I'm so glad I took a look inside your showroom doors.
Hey everybody, it's good to have you on the Baba-too-da-ba-too-ba-ba-buh-doo-ga-ga-bop-a-dop
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 07:59 PM
|
#10
|
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Orange County NY
Posts: 579
|
man that looks good mark.
__________________
2000 Camaro 25.5 Turbo car X275
|
|
|
02-18-2010, 08:44 PM
|
#11
|
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Shamong, NJ
Posts: 1,358
|
Looks awesome, great job
__________________
1969 Camaro SS - 350 w/ some work done.
2010 F-150
|
|
|
02-19-2010, 09:24 AM
|
#12
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1984camaroz28
man that looks good mark.
|
Thanks Charlie! You remember how it looked when I picked it up at your shop (just the usual low mile dirt and oxidation), so its nice to get a comment from the guy who knows the part! And thanks again for being a good site sponsor and taking care of me with the drive shaft and U joints.
Regards,
Mark
PS, you wanna buy it back? How about $150?
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-19-2010, 11:08 AM
|
#13
|
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Long Valley
Posts: 59
|
Looks good. It's supposed to hit 40 degrees today.... that's my temp mark for working in garage with the little propane heater....
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 04:36 PM
|
#14
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Weather was really nice today. Probably was over 50 in the sun this afternoon. I installed the drive shaft and changed the rear gear lube.
Here you can see the difference between the steel shaft and the aluminum. The steel is 2.5" thick, the aluminum is 3" thick. They have the same yoke, and are the same length from center to center of the U joints. The aluminum is a 1/4" longer overall because the aluminum lobes are so much thicker than the steel ones.
Got a big surprise from the test drive. The gear noise is much less with an aluminum shaft than steel. Guess the aluminum doesn't transmit or resonate the sound from the gears like a steel shaft does.
The car is nice and smooth and quieter up to about 70, then I got some steering wheel shimmy going on so I think the tires need balancing. At 90 it smoothed out .
Going to have to get the wheels balanced soon.
Can't say if the car is faster or not, but the smooth operation and reduced gear noise is worth it. Any HP gain or faster acceleration is a plus.
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 06:55 PM
|
#15
|
Meet Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: brick/pt. pleasant beach
Posts: 19,341
|
did you happen to weigh them?
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 07:05 PM
|
#16
|
Mongo the Meet Coordinator
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 16,900
|
This is still amazes me.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by KirkEvil
repo bigals turd gen and part it out to a loving home
|
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 07:18 PM
|
#17
|
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Orange County NY
Posts: 579
|
i bet that driveshaft whould sell for alot of money on ebay
__________________
2000 Camaro 25.5 Turbo car X275
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 07:49 PM
|
#18
|
Join Date: May 2009
Location: branchvlle
Posts: 364
|
man that new one looks awsome!!! bet the bird is happy!!
__________________
1994 Chevy camaro
Formerly known as red99bird
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 08:35 PM
|
#19
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider
did you happen to weigh them?
|
I thought about it, but I don't have a scale that would be accurate at those weights. I have read in a number of places the aluminum saves 10 lbs over the steel.
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 08:38 PM
|
#20
|
Ayatollah of Rock N Rolla / Admin
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 12,573
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark42
I thought about it, but I don't have a scale that would be accurate at those weights. I have read in a number of places the aluminum saves 10 lbs over the steel.
|
Yup, and it's rotating mass, so you get a lower moment of inertia.
Weight:
http://www.fullthrottlev6.com/forums...ad.php?t=28144
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 08:51 PM
|
#21
|
Meet Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: brick/pt. pleasant beach
Posts: 19,341
|
ah thanks bill, i was talking about it the other day and thought it was around 5 lbs.
|
|
|
02-21-2010, 09:34 PM
|
#22
|
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Arm pit of the world... NJ
Posts: 2,676
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LTs1ow
This is still amazes me.
|
Wow, have another beer.
__________________
John
|
|
|
02-22-2010, 06:36 AM
|
#23
|
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 443
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider
ah thanks bill, i was talking about it the other day and thought it was around 5 lbs.
|
Actually there are three different aluminum drive shafts for the f-bodies with three different part numbers and three different weights. The part number I have is listed as being 11.5 LBS. Others are listed at 15 lbs and something else (I forget right now). I have this all written down somewhere....
Will weigh the old shaft tonight and see what it comes in at using a digital bath scale. Not the most accurate device ever created, but it should give ya an idea of the weight.
__________________
1998 Firebird Coupe
Mods: 3.73 Gears, Eaton TrueTrac, PCM Tune, LS1 Aluminum Drive Shaft, Cold Air Intake, 180 Thermostat, Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust, Moog LCA busings.
My Firebird Projects : Click Here
|
|
|
02-22-2010, 07:22 AM
|
#24
|
Meet Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: brick/pt. pleasant beach
Posts: 19,341
|
alright man thanks
|
|
|
02-23-2010, 12:00 AM
|
#25
|
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: West Long Branch
Posts: 13,598
|
That actually looks really damn good. Im a sucker for polished aluminum.
__________________
2/20/2013: They Day the ****s Stopped
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
|