Using tubing to lengthen and shorten shafts

[Buck91toy]

Good .... Bad anyone done this I'm not talking about square tubing just normal round tube. thick and beefy. Couldn't I get some tube just barely larger than the shaft so it would slide (maybe with a little help from a hammer) right in and then cut the shaft about an inch or two behind the yokes and cut the tubing to length and weld it? very cheap way to do dual cases I would think.

[Im4yotas]

You absolutely could if you aren't worried about balancing it. Best way IMO to change the length is with the same OD tube. Clamp everything together in a piece of angle iron to keep it as straight as possible. Chop saw would help, as perfect 90 degree cuts would make this much easier than a rough sawzall cut. Tack it evenly all around so it doesn't move, then weld around, grind down smooth. If you need it for the rear, have a driveshaft shop balance it.

[TNToy]

Don't buttweld it like im4yotas suggested: Toy shafts are less than .060 wall and it'd never hold. Besides, it's not worth the work: As soon as you dent a rear shaft its just a couple good launches up a ledge (read: clutch dumps) away from a sudden death. If you have to butt weld it, sleeving it inside or out will make it much more likely to hold. But why go through the work just to have a failure-prone thin-wall drive shaft?

Here's how I did mine. Doing it again, I'd use 3/16ths tubing... 1/4" is hella overkill - but good overkill. Someone was watching me crossing a couple of fairly large trees this weekend and I saw him staring at something under the Toy really hard. When I asked and he explained that he was "keeping an eye on the rear driveshaft" I explained he didn't need to bother. If it wouldn't result in possibly needing a strap I'd have perched the rear end on the driveshaft to watch his reaction.


http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...hreadid=159490

[Rwhat]

What size ID is that tubing your using to sleeve?

[OOP'S]

Don't laugh to hard, but this year at JV Erik B's Brother-In-Law twisted his D-shaft and Zuk fixed it by cutting out the bad section and replacing it with a new section, before he tack welded it he put a few handfuls of sand in the shaft, tack welded it together and put the shaft back and used fixed points and a hammer to "Tweak" the shaft straight. Pulled it out and welded it up. Ed said he was able to do 90 MPH with hardly a vibration. The sand worked to balance the shaft like golf balls in the tires, centrifugal force.

[FreakAccident]

like golf balls in the tires

BBs are better!

Thats a smart idea to put sand in the shaft though.

[OOP'S]

Originally posted by FreakAccident


BBs are better!

Thats a smart idea to put sand in the shaft though.

BB's rust, golf ball don't!!!!!

[Air Ride]

Originally posted by OOP'S
Don't laugh to hard, but this year at JV Erik B's Brother-In-Law twisted his D-shaft and UK fixed it by cutting out the bad section and replacing it with a new section, before he tack welded it he put a few handfuls of sand in the shaft, tack welded it together and put the shaft back and used fixed points and a hammer to "Tweak" the shaft straight. Pulled it out and welded it up. Ed said he was able to do 90 MPH with hardly a vibration. The sand worked to balance the shaft like golf balls in the tires, centrifugal force.

plus the inside will be all bright and shinny.



2" pipe fits nicely inside older toy d-shafts. built many that way. If you get them straight they dont shake. most dive-shaft shop don't bother to get them straight, thats why they need so much weight.

[Im4yotas]

Originally posted by TNToy
Don't buttweld it like im4yotas suggested: Toy shafts are less than .060 wall and it'd never hold

Yeah, it does hold, actually But I guess the Hammers aren't a very good test. I used a .095 shaft though (High Angle).

But like I said, just use the same OD to help keep it straight. You can use whatever thickness you want.

[Bill Collins]

you gonna have it together for moab this weekend buck?i am leaving wednesday,be there friday morning...

[Buck91toy]

yeah I should be readyI just got a v6 third with a spool for a good deal and so I will for sure throw that in before I go, but the question will be the springs weather or not I can get the 63"ers in before then, I will only have thursday night and fri morning to work on it all so we'll see! If not then I'll stay with the springs I have right now. Hey bill....we will probably meet in the city market parking lot around 9:00 am sat! I'll try to call you when I get there.

[TNToy]

Originally posted by Im4yotas
Yeah, it does hold, actually But I guess the Hammers aren't a very good test. I used a .095 shaft though (High Angle).

.095 would probably work, personally there's no WAY I'd want to try and run a butt-welded factory driveshaft. They're just too thin.

RWhat: The tube I used was either a 2.5 or 3" OD with a quarter-inch wall... had a buddy turn .100 off the ID and it pressed onto both yokes just fine.

As far as balance, I'll echo what Air Ride said. The tube I used was trued up in a lathe (by product of turning the ID) and then press over the factory shaft tubing, ensuring it would be straight. Ended up with 25/1000s of runout. Not much at all considering the shaft is 46.5 inches long. I can see it when I drive down the interstate, etc... where it doesn't vibrate or visibly wobble at ALL. It's just like running a factory driveshaft as far as a seat-of-the-pants feel. Except it weighs an extra 20 pounds and I can support the truck on it.

[miniyota]

dang that sand thing is what i should have done. mine is a little out of balance. i was running the morrison jeep trail and toasted another cneter driveshaft bearing and a u joint and after a hour and a half drive home in a vibrating truck i figured screw this two piece crap! i got a dtiveshaft from a long bed truck.

made some lines with my straight edge and cut out two inches. i stuck in angle iron and made it nice and straight. i then heated it with a tourch. and buttwelded with a 210 mig. its really straight, almost perfect. i haven't been able to pretzel it yet. i've dumped the clutch a number of times. and so far its held. the only problem is a vibration once i hit 55 mph. maybe i'll drill a hole and stick some sand in there and then add a plug.

[pitter]

we shortened a BII shaft at my old work and to get it straight we put the truck on jack stands and then put it in drive to see if the shaft was out of allignment, if it was.. hit it with a bfh, we did this till it was true. did a few tacks here and there while we did it. took it out and welded it up. ran fine no vibes TNToy how do you think a shaft would be out of 3/16 at 57.75" long.

[TNToy]

.188 (3/16ths) is plenty thick. PMurf runs a .188 shaft and his truck didn't used to be very light, or babied.

I kinda wish I'd done mine outta .188 ... .250 is great but .188 should be hella strong still, and quite a bit lighter. Lighter = easier on u-joints.

[pitter]

would length matter at all seeing i am about 10" longer than you on my rear shaft?

[johny5]

thanks for the great info guys , i saw this post last night and after work, with in 20 mins i had a new rear shaft ready for the rubicon this weekend i am going to take it in to balance it up tommorow,, it is 60 inches long and mighty heavy (188 wall tube)

[scottz]

I've built probably 10-15 driveshafts at home using a cheesy jig made out of an old two piece driveshaft bearing. That and a $12 dial indicator from harbor freight. I can usually get them under 20 thousandths. Good to 90+mph, probably go faster but the rig won't.

if you cut right in front of the weld on the flange only through the tube you can get the stock tube off and have enough flange left on there to put stock inside diameter tube back on. I've been using .095 wall stuff. Next time I buy it Team Tube in west sac said they have some .156 wall stuff that had the right i.d. It was 2 5/8 o.d. x .156 wall DOM. I've been using 2 5/8 od x .095- it will bend but won't really taco after it's bent like the stock stuff. The .156 wall is $6.88 a foot and the .095 stuff is $5.13 a foot.

[SeaBass44]

Originally posted by TNToy
.188 (3/16ths) is plenty thick........ and quite a bit lighter. Lighter = easier on u-joints.

Last reply you talked about being able to support the truck on the shaft, Uh...............a lil hard on U-joints ya think And as far as BUTT welding goes, I don't recoment it, but my buddy the pro welder has been running square SS BUTT welded shaft 2 years, trailer rig No idea why they hold up

[Bill Collins]

Originally posted by Buck91toy
yeah I should be readyI just got a v6 third with a spool for a good deal and so I will for sure throw that in before I go, but the question will be the springs weather or not I can get the 63"ers in before then, I will only have thursday night and fri morning to work on it all so we'll see! If not then I'll stay with the springs I have right now. Hey bill....we will probably meet in the city market parking lot around 9:00 am sat! I'll try to call you when I get there.

i am ready to leave now,i will see you sat at 9:00 at the city markrt...

[Bill Collins]

also i will be in a silver crew cab ford pulling a flatbed gooseneck with a old wore out toy truck

[TNToy]

Originally posted by SeaBass44
My buddy the pro welder has been running square SS BUTT welded shaft 2 years, trailer rig No idea why they hold up

My point with the "dont butt-weld stock shafts" was phrased poorly.

You have a shaft that currently doesn't work. You can butt weld it and make it work until you hit the stock thinwall tubing on a rock, dent it, and it eventually fails... or you can find a tube/pipe that's at least .120 wall and build one that will hold up. If it's closer to .188 wall, it'll hold up for a very long time.

As far as the wall thickness? .188 seems to hold up enough that anything thicker is just wasted weight. I used .250 cuz it's what I had. Doing it again, Sch40 or 3/16ths (.188) would be just fine.

[ErikB]

Originally posted by OOP'S
Don't laugh to hard, but this year at JV Erik B's Brother-In-Law twisted his D-shaft and Zuk fixed it by cutting out the bad section and replacing it with a new section, before he tack welded it he put a few handfuls of sand in the shaft, tack welded it together and put the shaft back and used fixed points and a hammer to "Tweak" the shaft straight. Pulled it out and welded it up. Ed said he was able to do 90 MPH with hardly a vibration. The sand worked to balance the shaft like golf balls in the tires, centrifugal force.

He's still running it.

Its his daily driver and he just drove it a few hundred miles from here to Barstow too...

[turbrotoy]

Originally posted by Im4yotas



Yeah, it does hold, actually But I guess the Hammers aren't a very good test. I used a .095 shaft though (High Angle).

But like I said, just use the same OD to help keep it straight. You can use whatever thickness you want.

Yeah that rear one stayed togather well,but I remember you did have a issue with the front one lol .Hey I like your new avatar ,I got my sign for the front yard and my bumper sticker coming in the mail .Its time to clean the house "arnold for govenator"

[Im4yotas]

Originally posted by turbrotoy


Yeah that rear one stayed togather well,but I remember you did have a issue with the front one lol .Hey I like your new avatar ,I got my sign for the front yard and my bumper sticker coming in the mail .Its time to clean the house "arnold for govenator"

Problem was that 14" of slip in the driveshaft isn't enough The butt weld wasn't a problem.