Technical One peice drive shaft 62 Bel Air

OK, here's the deal. I am done screwing around with this 2 piece shaft in my Bel Air. I have done this and that and the other thing, now I am DONE! So not to sound like a dink, and I am not trying to start anything, don't try and talk me into making a 2 piece shaft work. I want to get some ideas or better yet, pictures of one piece shafts in chevy X frames. I have stared at it a couple of times and I think it can be done. I think I can cut the bottom plate in the center of the X and maybe add a piece of tube cut in half at an angle in place of the plate. just trying to figure how much and how bad it will hang down. Any ideas or thoughts would be great. Again I hope I am not coming off like a dink, just don't want this thread going down hill like so many have. Thanks!

 

A 2 piece shaft on Chevs has worked for everyone else for over 50 years, why do you have troubles with it? Seriously I am not trying to be an ***.

 

Ok seen this done on them there hopper cars,you know the kind that bounce. If you must have 1 pc drive shaft this is what I have seen done. Take body off frame, start putting 1/4 plate around top of the tunnel of frame till solid. I mean more than one layer. do this till you are comfortable that its strong enough, cut out bottom, get 1 pc shaft and there you have it........... racers have run the 2 pc for years no problems.

 

I must be living a charmed life. I have lost track of how many I have set up as two-piece.

Not one single issue. Ever.

 

I am not trying to be a jerk, just p*** along the wisdom of my experience.

I have customers out there with static dropped cars, bags, and the tallest hydraulic rams that will fit under the deck.

There are two things that they all have in common:
http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p22...ion_spline__slip_style_for_58_64_chevy_a.html
http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p22...ng_aluminum_urethane_mount_for_58_64_che.html

This is proven territory, a problem long already solved, stocker, baggd, or pro-hopper.

I am an engineer, and you won't find me cutting an x-frame to accommodate a one-piece shaft.

 

can I ask, what has been the problem?

 

If you check with the guys who run the 58 to 64+ cars over on the 348-409 site they can tell you exactly what to do and what not to do. Lot of builders over there that deal with this each day.

 

I have been running a one piece drive shaft in my 63 impala for 10 years since I converted it to a 4 speed.The only thing I see is if you jack the back of the car up and let the rear drop the shaft will hit the frame.

 

There's absolutely no problem with a two piece driveshaft with a slip joint and a decent carrier bearing. Go to www.Inlandempiredriveline.com

 

2 piece with slip shaft done! Made the change and my rubber carrier bearing is fine now! 1 piece to much work and risk of messing up frame.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

As the rest said, just put a slip yoke in the rear driveshaft and problems solved. This is proven fix and takes away the carrier bearing flexing back and forth which is the root cause of the problem.

 

I've seen them on C10 trucks, but all that is out in the open. On the cars, you have to consider that boxed-in center section of the ch***is. I replaced the center bearing on my '61 Impala and never heard a peep out of it again. Definitely the easy-****on.

Bob

 

Here's my 62 Delray with a 700R4 and one piece. Easy to do.

http://www.348-409.com/forum/threads/im-going-to-try-this-out.24155/page-3

 

Exactly. only an armature lets a simple mechanical thing whoop him.

If you must do it the absolute best way to do it is loose the X frame and build a perimeter frame. I suppose you could beef the X frame, loosing the reason you have a 2 piece shaft is going to effectively weaken your frame. You could use the existing and throw a couple of pieces if rectangular tubing down the sides a lot like sub frame connectors in a unibody car.
Of course all of this is a 20 dollar cure for a 10 cent problem but if this is the route that you want to take that would be the simplest solution.

 

Yeah right, rebuild the frame while your not doing anything. Like I previously posted, install a slip joint and replace the carrier bearing and your done. Armatures are in a generator not a driveshaft.

 

I installed a 1 piece in my 63 along time ago...i believe it came out of a 65 chevelle...only issue i had was when jacking up the rear of the car it would lay on the rear edge of the tunnel...driving down the road i never had any issues with it...the hardest part was getting it in place....had to disconnect the shocks and drop the rearend down far enough to slide it in over the rear end....went with the one piece after haveing 3 different shops rebuild the two piece and having to still replace the support bearring mount once a month.....

 

Has the original post told us what the problem is? I ***ume blown rubber carrier bearing...


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I've really only seen a center carrier bearing let loose on a 1-ton GMC truck. That was spectacular... the rear of the driveshaft beat the **** out of the bottom of the truck and ripped out all the wiring that went under the bed.

I always found it easier not to reinvent the wheel, plus I can be quite lazy and a simple center bearing replacement was the ticket.

 

I did the same on one of the '62s I had. Put a Muncie 4 gear in it & shortened the shaft a scosh, added a new center bearing, good to go. Nothing wrong with a two-piece as long as everything is up to snuff. Frame surgery is way off the track IMO.

 

Duh Oh, spell check can't fix stupid.

 

Bob
I actually had a carrier bearing come apart on a '65 C-10 I had one time, I loosened the bolts and slipped it back in place then limped it to the O'Reilly's and replaced it.

I will be the first to admit that they are a pain to replace in an X frame car, but they are not a piece that you replace on a regular basis. Do it right once and put another 100K on it.

 

As an apprentice mechanic, I removed and installed those 2 piece drivelines on a steady basis.
In the 5 years I was there (general repair garage) I only replaced one faulty one.

There was a procedure to install the center support. Follow that procedure and the forward-or-rearward thrust on the rubber encased bearing would never damage it...but ignore the preload, and the center support had a decidedly marked 'half-life'...

 

Mike,
As I recall getting it just right on an X frame car is a little tough, but once you get it it is there.

I put a new one in the Pusher when I swapped the engine out, as I recall we tore the old one up when we were shortening the front drive-shaft. I run that truck hard as anyone who knows will attest. never ever had a problem with it although I did explode a U joint on launch once and spun the spiders out of it and had to replace them and the pin.

 

Right you are on the 'getting it there' part, Benno...but being the apprentice (especially for Red Mayfield!) I was careful to perform every act with 'surgical precision'!
A stern master, Red.

At the drags, cheating 348s and strong 409s were shattering 3rd members and axle shafts. But the 2 piece drivelines lived...

 

Well I didn't want to get into my long boring life story, but here goes. I have run this car with a pretty decent 350 (nothing too crazy) and a Saginaw 4 speed. I rebuilt the stock 2 piece drive shaft and had to have the front half shortened some for the Saginaw. I beat the heck out of it on the street for a few years and broke all kinds of rear end stuff, and stock center support bearings. So I switched to a 31 splined 9" in the rear and continued on. I took it to the track a few times, didn't set any records, just had fun. But at the end of the weekends I would have to replace the center support. Now this is all NAPA stock replacement stuff so I didn't expect a lot. well this last year or so I have been working on the car, and changed a lot of stuff. Oh, let me side track for a minute, I have an OT chevelle that I bracket race, I used to race that car with a 4 speed and have broke and upgraded and fixed more driveline stuff than I care to remember. Anyway that car is now an auto and now I have all this left over 4 speed stuff. I have friends who are trying to start a 4 speed cl***, SOOOOO.... here I am. I have warmed up the 350 a touch, and added a liberty geared T-10, a good clutch and my be putting a spool and 4.56 gears in her. I have, in a way, made my own 2 piece shaft with a slip in the rear half and bigger U-joints, The center support is a NAPA part that I welded up and reinforced and added a larger bearing. Now the car is not "done" but I took it for a test drive and got after it pretty hard and when ever I shifted (clutchless proshifted ******) I could hear a thud coming right from the center of the floor. Got home and looked and everything is still intact BUT........ what happens when the spools in and the slicks are on and the 2 step is set at 5500 and I let go? Is that thing gonna take it? And yes I know all about the inland empire (sp?) large 2 piece shaft with billet center support. But for that kind of money I think I could make a one piece work and put the rest in other speed parts. Whew that was long.

 

how about just the inland empire billet support, if the rest of the shaft is ok? Summit sells the I.E. driveshaft for less than the guys at the shop quoted me too.

 

I've had a couple of rubber mount carrier bearing fail on the car in my avatar.
Just in the past couple of weeks installed the "billet" carrier bearing and slip joint rear shaft and notice the car seems to have so much less vibration. One reason for the rubber bearings failing is that people put the in and bolt them down with the rear end hanging. Once the car is down it preloads the rubber. If you use the billet carrier you must use the slip joint. Two piece drive shaft are better anyways. Has to do with critical speed.
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0608rc_1958_1964_chevy_driveshaft/

 

porkn******, what is so difficult about replacing the center carrier bearing on an X frame car? Its only held in by two bolts. It takes me longer to disconnect the rear universal as there are four bolts. BTW, I have two X frame cars with the billet carrier bearings and slip joint two piece driveshafts with no problems or vibration.

 

Well here's the way I see it, I have put some money into the old stock 2 piece shaft, bearings U-joints (3 at a time) and shortening. Then the bigger slip 2 piece shaft, bearing U-joints bla bla bla. If I was smart I would have bought the inland empire shaft from the beginning, but I still cant justify the cost. So why not make a "normal" one piece shaft work. Don't they say Keep It Simple Stupid? I have heard that the shaft would be too long, I don't know how long say a 66 impala drive shaft is, but I bet its gotta be close. And how many of those are around with bad vibrations?

 

Anyway. This is getting WAY off track. I know that some guys have done it. I just wanted to see pics or get ideas on how the did it. That's all.