ALFAGTV6.COM

[MD]

John,

Yes I would be interested in two. However I would get mine done with a slip joint and a universal at the rear. The rear UJ locator hole would need to be machined and supplied for the specific gearbox input shaft to allow for individual wear and original size so that it positively locates.

I have found them to vary by almost 2mm so you see what I am saying..?

[ar4me]

Just kidding, looks nice, how much did it set you back?

I was originally quoted close to $1500, but I got a considerable discount by having two made and work with them. At the end it was close to $1200, but I think it is low priority for them, and it took some time - 2 to 3 months. Contributing to that time were some changes along the way requested by me. Anyway, I believe their WRX STI and other shafts retail for close to $1500, but I don't see why they wouldn't do group-buys of identical shafts at a similar price, or thereabout.

BTW, I would not consider this a bolt-on, and to maximize the probability of success I would be cautious about too many changes - a lot has been learned already by a number of people, both with the CF shafts and steel single-piece shafts. One example is the MUST for the flanges at the two ends to be offset by 60*.

Jes

[Mats]

Pricey, but not unobtainable.

You saved 7.5 lbs which is about 1/3 of the weight of the std shaft? It does not add up in my head, last time I checked a std shaft it weighed a lot more. A lot!

That 60* offset sounds weird, that will vary considerably depending on the geometry of the car it's installed in and also on the type of joint, should not be a problem unless you use 2x U-joint actually. What kind of cars have had problem and what kind of problems, do you know? (just curious)

A steel shaft of that length is just a fantasy product unless you have max RPM on the shaft around 1000 or so. It will whip. Also the torsional vibrations would be a serious issue but the primary problem will be bending. If someone pulled that of you can label it "disaster waiting to happen" and never ever ride in the car. For instance, the GTV6 shaft is quite on the limit if you go past 7K rpm...

Btw, I don't see any balancing weights. Surely it is balanced?

[Micke]

My excel says the prop shaft weighs 10 kg = 22 lb (TS shaft that is)
A third of it is about 7 lb so sounds right to me.

[ar4me]

The weight is what the scale said - not sure what else to tell you... Alfa transaxle cars have had problems with vibration if the flanges were aligned. And, crome moly, I believe it was, one piece shafts have been done. Finally, yes, shaft has been balanced.
Jes

[kevin]

Jes, what do you mean about flanges with 60 deg offset. Got me worried. Just cut my prop to shorten it and welded flanges back on.

[ar4me]

This only applies to single-piece shaft! You want the 3-ear'ed flanges at the ends of the one-piece shaft to be offset by 60*. If you look at one of the halfs of a stock shaft I believe the 3 ears between two ends (of a half) are actually aligned. Note that all this is not discovered/invented by me, but are from (expensive) lessons learned by experienced long-time Alfa racer/builder.
Jes

[kevin]

Thanks, might as well let others pay for the school fees.

[Mats]

I guess I need to cut those shafts open that are in my garage because thay are much heavier. Maybe I'll find some old gold smuggling operation?

Anyway, a ~1500mm shaft in steel spinning at 8000rpm needs to be seriously thick and have a huge diameter to survive without divine intervention. If someone is driving around with one of those he is probably the luckiest man alive or there is something he's not telling you.

[PietereQ]

Finally picked up the front flange, everything fits great. I'm taking all the bits and pieces to the driveshaft shop today for final driveshaft assembly.
Cheers!

[Mats]

Nice!

[PietereQ]

Nice!

Man, the credit for the concept and design goes to you.

I'll be quoted tommorow on the shaft. Apparently it will be made from scratch, of course using my wonderful flanges Well I have second spare driveshaft, so maybe this will help to keep the costs down

[Duk]

Can anybody supply specs for the center coupling (front half) and the clutch input shaft splines.
Nice work by PietereQ, Jes, Mats for his design and the Lunatic Kanine (MD) for sharing this information

[Mats]

I was actually planning to re-use the middle bit to get the long slender bit for clearance.
Measuring splines is a b*tch and they can be profiled differently so not always as easy as measuring the od and counting teeth. Especially true when looking at propshaft/halfshaft components which are usually a bit special to get a lash-free fit. I used the std piece on the clutch bits as well, spark erosion but you can probably do it a lot less high-tech if you want to.

[MD]

hey Duk one, easy on the Kanine bit unless you want me to drive down to SA and piss on your leg..