04-26-2017, 02:28 AM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
Corporate imperialist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NewMexico (USA)
Posts: 11,265
Thanks: 273
Thanked 3,568 Times in 2,832 Posts
|
Aluminum drive shafted
Back around 2009 I picked up an aluminum drive shaft off a Pontiac Firebird with the super rare 1LE and WS6 preformance packages off ebay for the going rate.
I didn't know the condition of the drive shaft or universal joints. So I took it to tractor trailer machine shop in Virginia Beach when I was living out there that specializes in drive shafts to replace the universal joints and ballance it. I think that was 2010. I finally put it in its new home.
I had kind of forgot about it until a friend needed a drive shaft for their camaro when one of the U-joints started clicking, I sold them the steel one out from under my firebird for cheap and went to go dig out my aluminum drive shaft from where it was hidden some where in the garage. Turns out it was in the shed.
The weight difference is 4 pounds, yes of course I weighed them.
I departed from sealed U-joints and opted for greasable ones, since all U-joint failures I know of involved the grease running out of the sealed U-joints over time and one of them burning up. And they tend to fail at high speeds when they do fail.
Total price was nearly $300. $140 for the shaft plus shipping and the bill from the machine shop was $155.
__________________
1984 chevy suburban, custom made 6.5L diesel turbocharged with a Garrett T76 and Holset HE351VE, 22:1 compression 13psi of intercooled boost.
1989 firebird mostly stock. Aside from the 6-speed manual trans, corvette gen 5 front brakes, 1LE drive shaft, 4th Gen disc brake fbody rear end.
2011 leaf SL, white, portable 240v CHAdeMO, trailer hitch, new batt as of 2014.
|
|
|
Today
|
|
|
Other popular topics in this forum...
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 04:53 AM
|
#2 (permalink)
|
Master EcoModder
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 1,747
Thanks: 75
Thanked 577 Times in 426 Posts
|
Results? Besides weight loss.
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 08:44 AM
|
#3 (permalink)
|
Corporate imperialist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NewMexico (USA)
Posts: 11,265
Thanks: 273
Thanked 3,568 Times in 2,832 Posts
|
Seems to be missing a slight vibration at higher speeds that I thought was a tiny tire imbalance.
__________________
1984 chevy suburban, custom made 6.5L diesel turbocharged with a Garrett T76 and Holset HE351VE, 22:1 compression 13psi of intercooled boost.
1989 firebird mostly stock. Aside from the 6-speed manual trans, corvette gen 5 front brakes, 1LE drive shaft, 4th Gen disc brake fbody rear end.
2011 leaf SL, white, portable 240v CHAdeMO, trailer hitch, new batt as of 2014.
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 11:14 AM
|
#4 (permalink)
|
Furry Furfag
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Apple Valley
Posts: 2,084
Thanks: 67
Thanked 409 Times in 313 Posts
|
4lbs of unsprung weight is nothing to scoff at. I'm not sure if there will be efficiency gains, but acceleration from low speeds is probably noticeable on the 'butt dyno'.
__________________
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 02:34 PM
|
#5 (permalink)
|
Focused on MPG
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Uphill from the river!
Posts: 434
Thanks: 128
Thanked 128 Times in 102 Posts
|
Any better MPGs?
__________________
Staying Focus'd on MPG
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 03:25 PM
|
#6 (permalink)
|
Master EcoModder
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Earth
Posts: 5,209
Thanks: 225
Thanked 811 Times in 594 Posts
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baltothewolf
4lbs of unsprung weight...
|
Why would a driveshaft be unsprung weight? Maybe semi-sprung, if the car has a solid rear axle instead of independent suspension.
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to jamesqf For This Useful Post:
|
|
04-26-2017, 04:16 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
|
Furry Furfag
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Apple Valley
Posts: 2,084
Thanks: 67
Thanked 409 Times in 313 Posts
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
Why would a driveshaft be unsprung weight? Maybe semi-sprung, if the car has a solid rear axle instead of independent suspension.
|
Well sorry I commented.
__________________
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Baltothewolf For This Useful Post:
|
|
04-26-2017, 06:23 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
|
Just cruisin’ along
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 1,183
Thanks: 66
Thanked 200 Times in 170 Posts
|
Nice! Cool car, I always liked that generation of Firebirds. Very muscular styling. Almost had one installed on my Mistang way back when, but we decided it probably wasn't worth it. The body structure was so floppy that the smoothness gains would be thoroughly outplayed, and it was built up as a show-quality cruiser, not a fast car.
__________________
'97 Honda Civic DX Coupe 5MT - dead 2/23
'00 Echo - dead 2/17
'14 Chrysler Town + Country - My DD, for now
'67 Mustang Convertible - gone 1/17
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 07:12 PM
|
#9 (permalink)
|
Master EcoModder
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: northwest of normal
Posts: 28,500
Thanks: 8,060
Thanked 8,863 Times in 7,316 Posts
|
Don't feed trolls [he sez], push back. You meant 'reciprocating mass' not 'unsprung weight'.
Perfectly understandable. To err is...Hue-mon?
|
|
|
04-26-2017, 09:38 PM
|
#10 (permalink)
|
(:
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
|
Well, the end attached to the axle IS unsprung weight.
|
|
|
|