[adtkart]

Food for thought.... Years ago, while I worked at a tire shop there was an employee that had problems with the balance of the tires on his 4X4. He would balance them every week. The next time he balanced them, they would be way out. He finally figured out that he had gotten water in the tires when he inflated them at the shop. After he dismounted them and dried them out, he had no problems with keeping them balanced. That tells me that the oil in the driveshaft will not work. If he has no vibration with the oil in them, he mostlikely would have no vibration without it in there.

[OilPatch197]

I got a question, I got to shorten a driveshaft 7"

so what your saying is if I cut the driveshaft into Thirds, and true up the center bore and slip in tubing, then weld the driveshaft back together, it should be STRAIGHT and BALANCED.


am I correct? the Reason I got to cut in thirds is I really don't want to use a steady rest is it would be long and awkard.

but as the shaft IS rough, I could come out with a crooked shaft.

so will I need to locate trueness the best I can on the outside of the driveshaft or the inside of the driveshaft?


4 Jaw Chuck can you tell me how you did it exaclty, I think I will use the vertical mill to cut the shaft in thirds.

[adtkart]

It sounds to me like you are trying to "true" the original shaft,(in pieces) then put some tube inside to weld the shaft back together? The way I see it, you are likely to actually have an out of balance problem for several reasons. First, you are going to try to true a part by, I am guessing here, cutting either the inside or outside of the original tube. This will cause the tube to have varrying wall thicknesses. This, in itself, will make each section of the tube to be out of balance, and weaker. Then you will be installing another tube inside, to weld them together. The welding is likely to cause another, although possibly minor, imbalance. After all of that, it is likely that the complete tube, welded together, is not going to be perfectly straight. This causing an additional imbalance problem.

I believe what 4Jaw was talking about is replacing the original tube with a machined tube, which is true(straight, and round) and of even wall thickness. That tube, in itself, would be balanced because of the make-up.

Hope this helps.

[OilPatch197]

Ahh, I see


is there a good source for Custom Driveshafts?

and anyone know of any driveshaft balancing shops in Illinois?

[adtkart]

I would check with any local automotive machine shops. If they don't do them, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Just part the ends off and find an appropriate piece of mechanical tubing and machine for a tap fit, use the steady rest on your mechanical tubing with it resting on a machined section and machine both ends. I use a piece of hex stock with a center drilled for supporting and aligning the ends later and pushing them in, you can check the ear alignment with an indicator on the hex stock. If you parted them straight all you have to do usually is butt them in. Make sure the ends are aligned exactly, second order vibrations will occur if they are not. Can't balance that out. I drill a small hole in one end to relieve the welding pressure and prevent a blowout at the finish of the weld.

I usually turn the tube between centers at high rpm to get a nice shine on the tube and TIG the ends on, most customers like the look and have even clear coated them. Most mechanical tubing cleans up with a 0.010" cut, I don't balance them anymore because they are perfectly straight and the small amount they might be out is negated by the small diameter. I once had one balanced and it was out a 1/50 of a gram, not even worth getting the MIG out to spot on that amount.

[OilPatch197]

That is what I'm afraid of, putting a drivshaft into a lathe and using the steady rest, shouldn't be to bad on Mechanical tubing. I guess I shouldn't be scared, but my uncle has a 19th century lathe.

So I will get me some mechanical tubing

using the mill I will mill the ends off

Chuck up the Ends(yokes) into the lathe and true it up by indicating on the holes where the U-joint caps go.

chuck up mechanical tubing and clean it up.

and to center the ends onto the mechanical tubing by using clamps and a Indicator on the "ends" and I may have to install the Ujoints just to get a good machined surface, just to center it onto the tubing then drill a releif hole in one of the ends(perpendicular with the shaft) and ARC or Mig weld it together in the lathe, I don't got a tig. then machine off the weld so it is evenly around shaft.

How thick of walls should I have on the mechanical tubing?

I got to check my Uncles Lathe's capacity, it may be to short.

[Dave E Shank]

AWWWAH FOUR JAW: You ruined my Christmas Surprize I was going to start a business selling " Balancing Oil" for Christmas presents Hey! do you have Xmas up there or does Santa just do a fly over You have been tooo naughty this year......DAVE

[Jag Daddy]

I smell one of those late night infomercals coming on here...

NEW from the makers of the Tornado, Drive-line balancing formula, This oil has been created and patented with the special "Balancing Structure" Molecule that will take the vibration out of any drive train. We call it BS for short.
buy now only 19.99 but wait there's more , if you call within the next 20 minutes well send you our instant engine treatment, just drop the packet in your tank and fill with water, you'll never be bothered by those troublesome engine noises again. All this for the incredibly low price of 19.99 plus shipping

Regards
Mark

[adtkart]

Thanks alot guys. Here I thought I had sent enough people away from the oil thing. I felt I had it all figured out. The Jag Daddy goes and lets the cat out of the bag. I already had my retirement all planned. OH WELL.