i was just curious i dunno where to put this subeject but i know jess visits here often. me and a buddy are thinkin about opening a driveline shop, and i was just curious how you started your bussinees and what were you most essential tools, i know kind of what is needed also what brands do you recommend and where did you get your equipment from

thanks
Ben

I'm not in the business, but I can tell you this much, you need
Lathe, chopsaw, torch, welder, vise, dial indcator, calipers, greasegun and spray bombs...That would would get you a good start.

besides the stuff already mentioned, you will need a presswelder/balancer, fixtures, tubing cutter (basically its a big chuck lathe that has only one speed), parts washer, band saw (optional but nice), and lots of inventory.

Maybe i'm stating the obvious here but I think the most important thing is you need experience! I have to wonder weather or not that requirement has been taken care of or not seeing as how your asking what equipment you need.. Have you ever done this kind of work before? Have you ever worked at a driveshaft related job before? I swear i'm not trying to be an ass i'm just getting back to the basics of whats required! Opening up a shaft shop is certainly not something to take lightly due to the start up costs and what not..

If you've got the passion for it then do it no doubt about it! Definately gotta be happy with what you do for a living! Good luck in your endevours!

i was basicallt asking about large machinery, i have a few welders, torches, band saw and so on i was basicly asking about the big equipment such as a press/welder/straightner/balancer. i do know about the lathe and that is already taken care of i think i was just checking to see what was recommended as far as what brands and so on also i want to find out who supplies splined shaft material because i dont think its cut in house by many driveline shops, also just the basic rules of the game, i think we are just gonna start rebuilding shafts and go on for there

Ben

what exactly is a spry bomb that one is new to me

ben

How about looking to see if you can afford the insurance first? Lots of liability in building drivelines.

Originally posted by Ben Holloway
what exactly is a spry bomb that one is new to me

ben

A can of spray paint... :)

I have a good friend who builds most of the driveshafts around here. He has 4 or 5 lathes, but he only uses 1 that I have seen. On a rebuild he turns off the old weld, straightens the shaft and welds it together on the same lathe. He doesn't have a press, he has a balancer, but I've never seen him use it. His lathes and balancer must be 50 years old or more.. : )
He's been at it for about 20 years.

Edit...actually, now that I think about it, his tools must be at least 70 years old...50 years is nothing to a good 10' lathe.. : )

does he do pretty good bussiness, around here no one builds driveshafts i call the only phonenumber in our phonebook and the place was all the way up in seattle, so we figure if we could do it cheap enough and since were pretty honest guys mabye we could do alright for ourselves, so far the cheapest equipment i found is around 9,000 for the balancer and a large cut off lathe, i have a lathe but the chuck is too small for a large d-shaft

Originally posted by FYRMAN
How about looking to see if you can afford the insurance first? Lots of liability in building drivelines.

hehe, well that is another aspect we are looking into right now, we have done a couple for free for friends and are leaving it at that right now i know the insurance is gonna be a killer:rolleyes:

Ben

Originally posted by Ben Holloway
i call the only phonenumber in our phonebook and the place was all the way up in seattle

Where are you at?

He is as busy as he wants to be. He does shafts for anything...Dump trucks, drag cars, busses, front wh. drive cars monster trucks, antiques...you name it.
He makes a good living, and does 90% his days work in the first 2 or 3 hours of the day, then he goofs off.
He does nearly all the dealerships, 4x4 shops and most of the "driveline" shops for about a 30 mi radius.
I always wait untill the last min. , and I stand there and watch while he does my stuff, if I take it to him a month before I need it, it won't be done until I go to pick it up anyway... :)
You will probably need to buy parts on a as needed basis for a while, until you get a handle on what you want to stock...He stocks very little, but he can get anything by the next day, in most cases.

Originally posted by Ben Holloway
does he do pretty good bussiness, around here no one builds driveshafts i call the only phonenumber in our phonebook and the place was all the way up in seattle, so we figure if we could do it cheap enough and since were pretty honest guys mabye we could do alright for ourselves, so far the cheapest equipment i found is around 9,000 for the balancer and a large cut off lathe, i have a lathe but the chuck is too small for a large d-shaft

try looking into finding an "oil-field" spindle-type lathe.. they have
very large bores. up to 10"......

--Sherpa