drive shaft safety loop

they come in a hundered designs but its important, to keep the drive shaft from dropping under the car if a u-joint fails

EXAMPLES
Most tracks require driveshaft safety loops for ET's quicker than 12.99 or 13.99 in the quarter. BMR's NHRA legal safety loop for the 2004-06 GTO welds onto the factory floorpan reinforcement and has locating holes for proper positioning. Two piece design allows installation without removing driveshaft and will fit driveshaft diameters up to 3.5". Available in Black Hammertone or red powdercoat




http://www.fordmuscle.com/forums/tech-e ... ation.html



http://www.thrashdriveshaft.com/

http://www.afterthoughtsauto.com/gto-loop.html

http://home.fuse.net/fastmonte/DSSL4Gbodies.htm


http://www.dragvette.com/

http://www.dragvette.com/irs_build_up.htm






http://www.eastcoastsupercharging.com/h ... haft_loops





OBVIOUSLY youll want different designs for various applications, and having access to a welder, and a drill press or mill, and minimal fabrication skill can save you time and money

I got a call today from a friend that went to a local track to do a test & tune on his new corvette ,the reason was a drive line failure he had never before experienced.
yes he had to get towed home, and thats one, of a long list of good reasons you or a close friend always should have access to a car transport trailer, when you go to race a car (things break more than we like to admit)
the engines been upgraded some, but its basically a L98 TPI with a larger cam, the fact that its not putting out more than about 380 rear wheel horsepower was never the less not as important as the fact that the corvettes u-joints were more than likely original and at least 26 years old proved to be a factor that resulted in what was in his description
"a noise at the cars launch that made me think I was going to die!"
the problem was a result of a outer u-joint shearing on the drivers side halve shaft and it hammering the driver's side rear suspension area behind the drivers seat , luckily this happened at about 10 mph , not at 70-90 mph as he shifted into top gear, and I mentioned the fact that if he thought that U-joint failure was enough to tighten the butt cheeks, he ought to think about a flywheel coming apart as he has not installed a blow proof bell housing and the clutch and flywheel exiting at excessive speed in random directions thru the frame, wind shield,dash etc. and jagged chunks of that clutch and flywheel taking the fuel, lines, brake lines and his FEET ALONG WITH THEM during the exit process
theres a reason that I suggest you install a blow proof bell housing on a car with a clutch or a shrapnel blanket on a car with a high speed torque converter , and drive shaft and safety loops on any place a u-joint can break
I think we all learn from experience and I know the first time I used a wet nitrous kit on a corvette I sheared a u-joint so I well remember the damage a flailing drive shaft can do , the down time and the expense of ordering significantly stronger drive line components and drive shaft retention loops (remember there 6 u-joints on a corvettes independent rear suspension)
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=447&p=551&hilit=clutches#p551
IF YOU THINK THAT CAN,T HAPPEN? IM SURE THATS WHAT THIS GUY WAS THINKING JUST BEFORE IT DID!

ONE REASON I TEND TOO STRESS THE USE OF both A LAKEWOOD BELLHOUSING AND A SFI RATED BILLET STEEL FLYWHEEL, AND A SFI RATED PRESSURE PLATE , is that over the last 45 or so years Ive personally seen the results of at least 6 cases where clutches or flywheels came apart at higher rpms, the results can nearly cut the car in half without a blow proof type bell housing

trust me when I say it gets far more expensive, to repair a car when a blow proof bell housing doesn,t limit the damage


and thats not counting the surgery required to repair or amputate ankles or toes etc, as a 10 lb chunk of flywheel coming apart at 6000rpm WILL go through the floor, doors or dash and windshield
http://www.zfdoc.com/c4SafetyLoop.htm


http://dragvette.com/products.htm

related info
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=227&p=43685&hilit=u+joints#p43685

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=845&p=9652&hilit=trailer+bearing+buddy#p9652

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=584&p=21691&hilit=lakewood#p21691

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=447&p=551&hilit=clutches#p551

http://www.maxchevy.com/tech/2008/iii_9 ... ion-1.html

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=9798&p=37141&hilit=flywheel#p37141

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=6124&p=35034&hilit=flywheel#p35034

Custom Driveshaft - Steel or Aluminum ?

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Need a custom (shorter than stock) driveshaft for my 77 and have been waffling between steel or aluminum. I am using 1330 u-joints with the original slip yoke from the TM-350 for the new 4L70e. The price difference between a 3.0" OD x .083 wall steel shaft and a 3.0" OD x .125 walled 6061-T6 aluminum shaft is only $ 100.00 so price is not really an issue. Would you go aluminum for weight ?

Click to expand...

personally I prefer STEEL, drive shafts , and any performance drive shafts should be fabricated of at least 3" diameter, tube of sufficient wall thickness to have a significant safety margin,
for the power level you intend to subject the drive shaft too!,
but have a detailed discussion with the machine shop or drive shaft fabricator your dealing with, as to their thoughts,
as its much less likely to suffer from stress induced micro fractures and welds are far more likely to be structurally secure,
stress damage is cumulative , properly painted steel , especially if properly T.I.G. welded, is far less likely to fail over repeated life time of stress,
any weight savings will be all but meaning less.