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e*clipse · 11-15-2014, 06:25 PM

Thank you - everyone for the ideas and suggestions.

Last night I spent some time looking at mostly OE and race type options. The good thing seems to be that, for the most part, the auto industry has settled on a pretty common design for the half-shafts.

This helps a lot for the idea of splining a shaft differently on each end to fit different manufacturer's pieces.

I was thinking about going with parts from cars that are commonly raced - this will give lots of repair part options beyond the usual questionable quality big-box store parts. For example, here is a company that specializes in driveshafts for race cars:
The Driveshaft Shop | Home page

One think I noticed is there are a LOT of Mitsubishi options. In addition to the Eclipse, the Lancer, 3000GT, and EVO's share parts. Here are the rear driveshafts for my car:
The Driveshaft Shop |
This looks like it would be pretty easy to modify for another end, like CyrusCosmo suggested.

In this case, the splined end goes into the rear differential, and the 4 bolt pattern end bolts up to a stub on the wheel side. The bolt patterns are friggen' close to the MGR, but don't match. This may be an adapter flange opportunity.

The other one that caught my eye is the Porsche half shaft:
The Driveshaft Shop | PORSCHE 1995-1997 993TT Manual 1000HP Level 5 Axle Kit - Porsche - Import Axles

It seems very similar on the inboard side to the VW half shaft:
The Driveshaft Shop | VOLKSWAGEN 1999-2005 Golf / GTI / Jetta / Beetle (VR6 / 1.8T) 5-speed manual (exc. 337 chassis) Basic axle (no warranty / not a racing axle) Level 0 - Volkswagen - Import Axles

Ignoring prices for a moment (yes, I know you can get one of these from Autozone for ~$70) Check out the 6 bolt pattern on the Porsche and VW. Freebeard: would you know what those bolt patterns and pilot diameters are?

By going to Porsche/VW/Mitsubishi axles, there would be a lot of good quality replacement parts available. Since CVT's are wear items, especially at high speed (the grease can cook) it would be nice to be able to get parts.

If the bolt patterns are somewhat compatible, it might be possible to do what Freebeard suggested and make an adapter between the MGR and a VW/Porsche CVT.

BTW, I have one of the 4-bolt MGR flanges sitting on my lap. The stud circle diameter is 94.75mm, or about 3.73" - much smaller than 6.5". If the 4" 6 bolt pattern matches the axle I linked to above, then an adapter may be a little tricky in that the bolt patterns are very close.

11-15-2014, 06:25 PM	#206 (permalink)
e*clipse Permanent Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: norcal oosae Posts: 523 Thanks: 351 Thanked 314 Times in 215 Posts	Thank you - everyone for the ideas and suggestions. Last night I spent some time looking at mostly OE and race type options. The good thing seems to be that, for the most part, the auto industry has settled on a pretty common design for the half-shafts. This helps a lot for the idea of splining a shaft differently on each end to fit different manufacturer's pieces. I was thinking about going with parts from cars that are commonly raced - this will give lots of repair part options beyond the usual questionable quality big-box store parts. For example, here is a company that specializes in driveshafts for race cars: The Driveshaft Shop \| Home page One think I noticed is there are a LOT of Mitsubishi options. In addition to the Eclipse, the Lancer, 3000GT, and EVO's share parts. Here are the rear driveshafts for my car: The Driveshaft Shop \| This looks like it would be pretty easy to modify for another end, like CyrusCosmo suggested. In this case, the splined end goes into the rear differential, and the 4 bolt pattern end bolts up to a stub on the wheel side. The bolt patterns are friggen' close to the MGR, but don't match. This may be an adapter flange opportunity. The other one that caught my eye is the Porsche half shaft: The Driveshaft Shop \| PORSCHE 1995-1997 993TT Manual 1000HP Level 5 Axle Kit - Porsche - Import Axles It seems very similar on the inboard side to the VW half shaft: The Driveshaft Shop \| VOLKSWAGEN 1999-2005 Golf / GTI / Jetta / Beetle (VR6 / 1.8T) 5-speed manual (exc. 337 chassis) Basic axle (no warranty / not a racing axle) Level 0 - Volkswagen - Import Axles Ignoring prices for a moment (yes, I know you can get one of these from Autozone for ~$70) Check out the 6 bolt pattern on the Porsche and VW. Freebeard: would you know what those bolt patterns and pilot diameters are? By going to Porsche/VW/Mitsubishi axles, there would be a lot of good quality replacement parts available. Since CVT's are wear items, especially at high speed (the grease can cook) it would be nice to be able to get parts. If the bolt patterns are somewhat compatible, it might be possible to do what Freebeard suggested and make an adapter between the MGR and a VW/Porsche CVT. BTW, I have one of the 4-bolt MGR flanges sitting on my lap. The stud circle diameter is 94.75mm, or about 3.73" - much smaller than 6.5". If the 4" 6 bolt pattern matches the axle I linked to above, then an adapter may be a little tricky in that the bolt patterns are very close.